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Spotsylvania School Board adopts $547.7 million FY 2027 proposed budget, asks staff for localized salary comparisons
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Summary
The Spotsylvania County School Board voted to adopt the revised FY 2027 proposed budget totaling $547,673,298 and forward it to the Board of Supervisors for appropriation. Members requested additional, localized compensation comparisons and asked staff to prepare alternative salary-scale scenarios.
The Spotsylvania County School Board voted to approve and forward the revised FY 2027 proposed budget to the Board of Supervisors after a detailed budget presentation and extended discussion of compensation scales.
The board approved the proposal as read by finance staff, which sets total expenditures at $547,673,298 with state revenues at about $240.6 million and local revenues at $176.6 million. Finance staff described programmatic additions in the superintendent's proposal, including special education positions, additional CTE teachers, coordinator scale changes and cost drivers such as COLA and health‑insurance provisions.
Board members framed the vote as a step to move the budget forward while continuing work on compensation policy. Member John DeBella (spoke during discussion) urged staff to develop new salary scales more closely aligned with neighboring localities to find potential savings that could be redirected to classroom positions. Several colleagues, including Miss Rodis, objected to cutting current employees' pay and said any scale changes should apply to future hires rather than reduce existing salaries.
Superintendent Clint Mitchell added context on regional compensation comparisons and defended the division's approach to recruitment and retention: "The beginning salary for a teacher with a bachelor's degree and no experience in Spotsylvania County Public Schools is $54,009 for the upcoming school year," he said, noting that the division has intentionally modernized scales to attract applicants.
After deliberation, a motion to adopt the revised proposed budget was moved and seconded; a roll-call vote in the transcript shows the motion passed (recorded in the meeting as 6–0). Members also asked staff to produce a localized comparative analysis against nearby divisions (Caroline, Fredericksburg City, King George, Stafford, Louisa and similar jurisdictions) so the board can consider targeted scale changes ahead of final adoption.
The board's action sends the document to the Board of Supervisors for appropriation; staff said approval tonight would allow finance to begin preparing the presentation for supervisors and could eliminate the need for an additional work session next week.
What's next: Staff will prepare the localized compensation comparisons and salary-scale scenarios requested by the board; the Board of Supervisors will consider the proposed budget at its upcoming appropriation review.
