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Matthews County superintendent presents FY26 operating budget with proposed 4% scale increase and maintenance shift to county
Summary
At a Feb. 4 joint work session, Matthews County Division Superintendent Dr. Daniels outlined a FY2025–26 operating budget that assumes enrollment of about 725 students, proposes a 4% across‑the‑board scale increase plus a one‑step raise, and shifts several maintenance accounts to county control, producing a $544,000 summarized decline in school maintenance costs and line items the superintendent said total closer to $800,000.
On Feb. 4, at a joint work session of the Matthews County School Board and Board of Supervisors, Division Superintendent Dr. Daniels presented the Matthews County Public Schools proposed FY2025–26 operating budget and its key assumptions, including a 4% increase to the salary scale plus a one‑step movement on the pay scale and an operating request for additional local funding.
Dr. Daniels said the budget is being built on a projected enrollment of about 725 students (current enrollment was reported around 760) and that the division is asking the county for an additional operating contribution of roughly $290,000. State funding is expected to decline by about $170,000 from current levels, she said, and federal funding is forecast to remain roughly stable.
Why it matters: The proposal combines a scale increase with a step movement intended to preserve competitiveness for teachers and staff while the county is set to assume many maintenance responsibilities. Supervisors pressed for clearer line‑item detail because the shift changes the net impact on county versus school division costs.
Dr. Daniels told board members the instructional line‑item increase — about $549,000 in the division’s materials — largely reflects the proposed 4% scale adjustment plus the step; she said the estimate includes benefits and retirement costs. "The salary increase is in the projected budget across the board. It is for all the existing staff employed by the division currently," Dr. Daniels said, adding that the budget assumes all current positions are filled for planning purposes.
Members sought immediately verifiable numbers for utilities and maintenance. Dr. Daniels reported a FY24 Dominion Power total for the division at roughly $328,000 and a heating‑oil/vehicle maintenance figure in the $247,000 range; several supervisors asked for vendor receipts and a line‑item breakout to reconcile differences.
Maintenance consolidation and MOU: The proposed budget shows a $544,000 decline in operations and maintenance tied to items the superintendent said are expected to move to county responsibility under a memorandum of understanding. Dr. Daniels acknowledged that the $544,000 figure was a summary and that the detailed list of line items being transferred adds to a figure closer to $800,000; she said she would post corrected slides and provide detailed documentation.
New positions and obligations: The FY26 request includes four new positions the division says are needed for compliance and service: a secondary reading specialist (to respond to Virginia literacy requirements in grades 6–8), a combined teacher/athletic trainer position (to replace a contracted trainer), a CTE teacher and a custodial/grounds position. Dr. Daniels said adding a grounds/custodial role aims to address chronic understaffing and reduce reliance on outside contractors.
No formal actions were taken at the meeting. Board members scheduled follow‑ups and requested a suite of supporting documents — including FY24 final actuals, receipts for major utility and fuel vendors, and clarified maintenance line‑item totals — before the Feb. 26 all‑day work session the boards set as their next step.
The division said it will email updated slides and the requested reconciliations; supervisors said they will review the materials before further budget deliberations.
