School board defers vote on superintendent's budget amid push for bigger raises for instructional assistants

The Harrisonburg City School Board on May 5 declined to adopt the superintendent's recommended budget, after several board members said the document did not sufficiently raise pay for instructional assistants (IAs).

The board's discussion focused on whether to send the budget to City Council as presented or to wait until the General Assembly finalizes the state budget. A board member moved to approve the superintendent's proposed budget with a proviso that any additional state funds be directed to IA pay increases; the motion was seconded but later withdrawn after extended debate and the board agreed to revisit the item at a work session in roughly two weeks.

Why it matters: board members argued the division risks losing IAs without a larger pay increase. The superintendent said the recommended budget reflects current assumptions and conversations with the city manager; state fiscal uncertainty means anticipated additional revenue is not guaranteed.

Board members pressed specific points. One member said the recommended plan currently provides a 3% increase for staff but noted the board had discussed significantly larger raises for IAs; that member said, “I can't vote for a budget that doesn't have that increase for our IAs,” (Board member (3)). Another member described a $500,000 request that had previously been removed after conversations with the city, saying if that funding had been available it could have supported a larger IA raise.

Superintendent (Dr. Richards) and budget staff told the board the administration could incorporate additional funding if it materializes from the state or the city, and noted some items (for example, nutrition programs) are more insulated because they rely on federal funding. Board staff also flagged a spreadsheet error on the debt-service slide that showed "0" where a change existed; staff corrected the figure during the meeting.

Formal action: the motion to approve the superintendent's recommended budget with the footnoted proviso was made (mover: Board member (2); second: Board member (16)) but was withdrawn, and the board agreed to defer further consideration to the upcoming work session so members and staff could continue negotiations with the city manager and monitor the state budget.

What's next: the board will discuss the budget again at a work session and is expected to decide whether to forward an amended request to City Council. The meeting ended with the budget item unresolved and the board planning additional outreach to state and city officials.