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Franklin County School Board approves $8.93 million request to present to supervisors for 2026–27 budget
Summary
The board approved a request to the Franklin County Board of Supervisors for an additional $8,929,437 in local funding for the 2026–27 school budget, prioritizing compensation increases, health‑insurance funding and capital needs; the request will be presented to supervisors on March 17.
The Franklin County School Board voted Monday to request an additional $8,929,437 from the Board of Supervisors for the 2026–27 school budget, saying the money is needed to cover personnel and instructional priorities.
Mrs. Sharon Tuttle, presenting the division’s proposed 2026–27 budget, said enrollment is projected at 5,567 students — down 137 from the prior year — and that the district is facing several cost pressures including a scheduled minimum‑wage increase and rising health‑insurance costs. The request to supervisors would be “over and above the local contribution,” Tuttle said, listing priorities that include phase 3 of a multi‑year compensation study ($3.9 million); market adjustments for hard‑to‑fill positions ($350,000); textbooks and a math adoption ($500,000); a projected health‑insurance funding increase of about $1.28 million; transportation needs including purchase of up to 15 used buses and other fleet requirements (roughly $1.6 million), and capital projects such as replacements for boilers, hot water heaters and security cameras (about $780,000).
“We built a needs‑based request, not wants,” Tuttle told the board. She said the division is also monitoring a lag in state and federal reimbursements — about $600,000 in pending federal requests — that could force midyear cuts if not resolved.
Board members repeatedly framed compensation as a top priority. “Compensation is our primary goal,” the board chair said during discussion, noting years of frozen steps for employees and the committee’s intent to fund phase 3 of the study if additional local funds are provided. The motion to approve the funding request was made and seconded, and the board approved it by roll call to send the request to the Board of Supervisors for consideration at the March 17 meeting.
The board also discussed the difficulty of budget timing, noting last year’s late state/local submissions and county actions that have affected cash flow. Tuttle warned the board she may return in March with proposed cuts if reimbursements and grant funding do not materialize.
Next steps: the school division will present the request to the Board of Supervisors on March 17; board members encouraged parents, staff and community members to attend in support.
