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Richmond County board ranks 2026-27 budget priorities and approves county request
Summary
Board reviewed the proposed 2026-27 Richmond County Schools budget, asked staff to rank priorities (teacher supplements, TA salary phase, payroll increases, device replacement) and voted to present the ranked request to the county.
Dawn Jordan, presenting the Richmond County Schools proposed 2026-27 budget, asked the board to prioritize a set of funding requests to send to the county, including a local teacher supplement, the fourth phase of a salary study for teacher assistants, a payroll increase and device replacement for the high school.
Jordan told the board the sales-tax capital outlay budget “pretty much stays the same” at about $2,005,500 and reviewed other capital and lottery funds, including a $388,765 draw last year for a Rockingham Middle School roof and a current application for $418,425 toward a $557,900 high‑school roof project requiring a local match of $139,475. She said the district’s total revenues declined from roughly $112 million to $97 million in 2025–26 after ESSER funding ended.
The presentation laid out several specific cost items and options: a 5% local teacher supplement (Jordan estimated the local funding need for a 5% supplement at about $80,928.90), a possible 10% supplement, a 3% payroll increase (estimated additional cost including benefits: $125,217.58), and the fourth phase of a salary study for teacher assistants (Jordan said that phase would cost about $676,404.62). For technology, Jordan said replacing the high‑school student devices would require approximately 450 Chromebooks at an estimated $207,000, while a stopgap conversion of older devices might cost about $60,000.
Board members asked how state allotment changes (Jordan said the state now funds in arrears using the best of two months and that the district’s funded ADM is 6,250) and rising insurance, retirement and utility costs affect local choices. Jordan also noted charter and virtual school enrollments (about 105 county students in charter schools, roughly 80 in virtual charters), which reduce ADM and state funding; she said charter payments to outside providers were roughly $89,000 last year and are expected to exceed $100,000 this year.
After discussion of tradeoffs and priorities, Mr. Baldwin moved and Ms. Owensby seconded a motion “to present this as requested as presented to the county.” The motion passed on an affirmative voice vote. Jordan and staff will rank the line items and forward the district’s prioritized request to the county for consideration.
The board did not adopt a final budget at the meeting; Jordan emphasized the district will continue refining numbers and try to minimize use of fund balance as final state and county decisions are made.
