Goochland school board hears FY2027 budget public comments; board member cites roughly $2.0M gap

Goochland County School Board convened a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, where staff and board members described a needs-driven plan that includes personnel additions, a proposed 3% salary increase and an estimated funding gap of roughly $2.0 million.

Karen Horn, a school board member for District 2, praised the work of central office staff and called out specific investments in the proposed budget, saying the plan "includes the addition of full time substitute teachers at the secondary complex, the 3% salary increase, updating the admin pay scale, driver compensation changes, additional CTE positions, and stipend increases." She added that the proposal reflected feedback gathered from surveys, principals, teachers and three public workshops.

Horn told the board, "This budget currently includes a funding gap of $2,000,496.96 dollars," and said the overall proposal has a total cost exceeding $40,000,000. She noted the division's LCI is 0.8 and said "the Goochland taxpayer, with or without children enrolled in our schools, will need to believe the budget line items will lead to results for our students, staff, families, and communities." (All quoted remarks are from Karen Horn during the public comment period.)

A staff member opening the hearing said materials provided to the board outline the needs-based budget and that the documents include separate summary tables for projected FY2027 revenues and expenditures. The staff member also noted uncertainty about the local transfer amount at the time of the hearing and said Dr. Raley would present a proposed budget later at 6:00 p.m. at the County Administration Building for additional detail.

Horn also raised concerns about recent board actions that she said had eroded public trust. She stated, "This board significantly challenged the trust of the community and even the unimportant board of supervisors with the termination of the superintendent the cost of taxpayers over $280,000..." and added that a board member's lawsuit had cost taxpayers "over 12,000." Those assertions were presented as part of Horn's public comment and were not accompanied by formal board findings or a staff response in this hearing.

Procedurally, the board adopted the meeting agenda as presented at the start of the session and later approved a motion to adjourn. Board Chair announced a follow-up budget approval meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m. (closed session) with an open session at 6:00 p.m. in Room 250 of the County Administration Building. The next regular business meeting was noted for March 10.

The public hearing provided board members and attendees an opportunity to flag priorities and surface budget concerns ahead of the formal budget approval process. The presentation materials and summary documents referenced during the hearing were made available to the board and attendees.