Amherst County superintendent seeks $2.1 million increase in proposed 2026 budget, recommends 2% base raises
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Houghton presented the proposed 2026–27 Amherst County Public Schools budget, asking the Board of Supervisors for $2.1 million to cover pay adjustments, staffing shifts and program funding; he cited enrollment projections and uncertain VPI slot allocations.
Amherst County — Superintendent Dr. Houghton on Monday presented the Amherst County Public Schools proposed 2026–27 budget and asked the locality for an additional $2,100,000 to cover staff compensation, program funding and operational pressures. He outlined a 2% base compensation increase for contracted staff and a set of targeted pay-scale adjustments intended to make teacher pay more competitive.
The request would raise the locality contribution from $16,402,089 to $18,502,089 and raise total revenue under the proposal to $67,820,076, Dr. Houghton said. He told the board the budget is built on the state’s enrollment projection of 3,601.6 students, though the district’s local estimate is as high as 3,662; the district used the lower figure for conservative revenue assumptions.
"The first thing is to provide a 2% base compensation for all contracted staff," Dr. Houghton said, listing additional proposals including teacher pay-band adjustments for bands 1 through 20, a 5% increase for substitute teachers, 3% for office managers and van drivers, and a 1% increase for mechanics and grounds staff.
Dr. Houghton told the board the district’s average daily membership (ADM) funding would decline by about $134,334 if enrollment falls by roughly 13.65 students under the state projection. He also noted the district’s state share decreased under changes to the local composite index, reducing state funds by roughly $564,000.
Early-education funding is uncertain, he said: the district currently operates 125 Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) slots but the state initially listed only 69 for next year. "They have verbally assured us that we will receive the slots for next year to get us to the 125," he said, adding that the hold-harmless arrangement is for one year and the district will need to reapply subsequently.
The superintendent said the proposed operational budget treats 86% of the operational budget as labor costs and reflects both reallocated positions (12.3 positions moved from grant lines into operations) and nine additional requested positions, including three CTE teachers. He said some previous one-time uses of capital funds to balance the budget would need to be restored.
Dr. Houghton listed other cost pressures the board will consider, including anticipated health-insurance increases, higher utilities, increased contract maintenance costs and expanded technology/security spending.
The presentation concluded with an invitation to discuss details at the upcoming budget retreat and the formal budget hearing. The board did not take action to finalize the budget at this meeting; next steps include further review and the scheduled budget hearing.