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RCPS work session previews 2026–27 cuts: activity buses scaled back, preschool and PLATO changes proposed
Summary
At an April 28 work session, Roanoke City Public Schools staff outlined program and operational reductions to close projected gaps in the 2026–27 budget, including a revised plan to limit activity buses to spring months, a reduction in VPI 3‑year‑old classrooms from 9 to 3, and a phased consolidation of the PLATO gifted program; no formal votes were taken.
Roanoke — Roanoke City Public Schools staff on April 28 presented a package of program and operational reductions for the 2026–27 budget that would trim services and defer maintenance while protecting classroom personnel where possible. The presentation was given during a board work session; the board did not take final votes and staff will return with recommendations at meetings in May and June.
Kathleen Jackson, the division’s chief financial officer, said the administration revised an earlier, deeper proposal after hearing board and community feedback. “Our original recommendation was to eliminate those activity buses,” Jackson said, adding that total projected savings from that proposal would have been about $350,000. The revised plan would retain activity‑bus service during the spring season, Monday through Thursday, and save an estimated $232,000 — roughly $117,000 less than the original option.
Jackson also brought forward a proposal to reduce the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) three‑year‑old classrooms from nine to…
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