Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Culpeper school leaders flag FY27 uncertainty after enrollment dip, outline timeline
Summary
Superintendent Tony Brads and finance staff told the Culpeper County School Board that a 165-student enrollment shortfall could reduce FY2026 revenue by about $1.2 million; the division plans a public hearing and final board vote on the FY27 budget on March 9, with presentation to the Board of Supervisors on March 12.
The Culpeper County School Board received a budget update Feb. 9 as leaders warned that an enrollment decline is tightening the division's near-term finances.
Superintendent Dr. Tony Brads told the board that division staff are monitoring state budget developments and that "current indicators are positive," while outlining the FY27 schedule: the General Assembly committees are expected to release budget amendments on Feb. 22, the division will hold a public hearing on March 9 with a board vote that same evening, and the approved budget would be presented to the Board of Supervisors on March 12.
Finance staff reported that projected FY2026 revenue (excluding CIP, debt and food service) is $125,633,032, with roughly 66 percent expected from the state, 29 percent from Culpeper County, 4 percent federal and 1 percent carryover. January average daily membership (ADM) was reported at 8,150, down from the budgeted 8,315 and later noted at 8,134, a shortfall of 165 students. That enrollment decline corresponds to an estimated revenue shortfall of about $1.2 million, or roughly 1.0 percent of projected revenue, the board was told.
Mr. Deane presented year-to-date spending figures, saying operating expenditures total $64.4 million (about 51 percent of the operating budget) and that food service expenditures stand at $2.6 million (51 percent). The finance report compared spending rates to last year and flagged enrollment and revenue as the primary variables that could affect FY27 planning.
Board members asked no follow-up questions during the presentation. Brads and staff also summarized operations and capital work tied to the division's long-term costs: facilities crews managed snow and ice removal beginning Jan. 26, completed 220 maintenance work orders in January and carried out HVAC repairs at Floyd T. Binns and Eastern View High School. Capital projects include ongoing renovations at Culpeper Middle School (new Grade House, fine arts and agriscience classrooms) and site work at Mountain Run Elementary.
The board's next budget-focused work session is Feb. 23; a public hearing on the proposed FY27 budget and a board vote are scheduled for March 9.
The school board convened a closed session later in the meeting to consult with counsel about probable litigation under the Code of Virginia and reconvened to certify the session before adjourning at 7:01 p.m.
