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Craig County Public Schools board approves Perkins and special‑education plans and $83,337 in employee bonuses
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Summary
At the meeting, the school board approved the Perkins CTE grant application, the 2026 special‑education local plan and authorized $83,337 for employee bonus compensation; Superintendent Dr. Wheeler outlined a roughly $314,000 improvement in the division's budget and staffing implications.
The Craig County Public Schools Board approved several budget and program measures and authorized $83,337 for employee bonuses during its regular meeting.
Superintendent Dr. Wheeler told the board that after a meeting with the Board of Supervisors the division's funding outlook improved by about $314,000 — including a $150,000 contribution from the supervisors, roughly $65,000 from county administration and about $100,000 in Secure Rural Schools funds shifted into instruction. "This brings our funding... up to, dollars 314,000," Dr. Wheeler said, while noting his office originally requested more than $500,000.
That adjustment helped the board approve a noncompetitive Perkins CTE application and the 2026 special‑education local plan by voice votes. Chair recorded the Perkins motion as moved by Mr. Gilroy and seconded by Ms. Powers; the special‑education plan was moved and seconded as announced, and both motions "carried" on a voice vote with no roll‑call tally provided.
Dr. Wheeler outlined the division's tradeoffs. The board will not pursue at‑risk funding this year because the local match would exceed the division's available resources; Dr. Wheeler estimated the at‑risk program near $900,000 and said a locality would need to provide more than $300,000 in local match to unlock the remainder. He also said the division will lose two positions through attrition and does not plan to refill them, while all other positions are expected to remain stable.
The board then approved employee bonus compensation. Earlier in the discussion Dr. Wheeler said the state and local match support would produce a one‑time bonus "about 700 or so" dollars for each full‑time employee in SOQ‑funded positions. A later motion to approve $83,337 for employee bonus compensation was made and seconded and carried by voice vote as recorded by the chair.
The superintendent also told the board that all full‑time employees will receive a 2% pay increase and that health‑insurance premiums will rise by about 8%, increasing employee costs.
Votes at a glance: the chair recorded voice votes and declared these motions carried. Specific tallies were not recorded in the public minutes for any of these items.
What happens next: Dr. Wheeler reminded the board of a joint budget work session with the Board of Supervisors scheduled for April 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the courthouse to continue budget negotiations and to confirm final program participation and allocations.
