Finance committee hears FY27 budget briefing; state proposals could reduce county request

The Frederick County School Board finance committee received an information-only briefing on March 5 about the division’s FY27 budget outlook, including possible changes tied to the state budget and several fund-level updates.

Ms. Anderson, who led the presentation, told the committee that both House and Senate versions of the state budget include additional funding for special education and programs for at-risk students. She said the Senate proposal includes a 3% compensation initiative while the governor’s introduced budget included a 2% compensation initiative. "If the Senate version were to be approved, that would provide us about $750,000 more state revenue towards our compensation initiative," Ms. Anderson said. She also noted the presenter’s calculation that the Senate draft would yield about $1.8 million more in state funds than the governor’s version overall.

The presentation emphasized timing: Ms. Anderson said the General Assembly is scheduled to conclude work March 14 and the Virginia Department of Education typically issues final entitlement figures shortly thereafter. That state guidance, she said, will allow staff to reconcile entitlements with the division’s budget request the board is…