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Radford City School Board previews $933,081 in budget add-ons including staff pay adjustments and an Air Force ROC program
Summary
Board leaders presented a needs-based 2026—2027 budget proposal that includes $933,081 in prioritized additions—notably funds to cover a 2% compensation increase, additional special-education and maintenance staffing, expanded tutoring and a new Air Force ROC/JOTC program—then scheduled a vote for March 24.
Radford City Public Schools leaders on Tuesday outlined a needs-based budget proposal for fiscal 2026—2027 that would add roughly $933,081 to support compensation, student services and new programs.
Dr. Joyce and the budget committee said the package is built from division staffing and program requests collected since December and is intended to be essential-first and fiscally responsible. The proposal assumes enrollment of about 3,010 students and acknowledges uncertainty in state funding and the local match required to unlock state salary increases.
At the center of the additions is a proposed 2% staff compensation increase; Dr. Joyce said about $396,000 would cover that adjustment when local match is included. The package also includes funds to absorb a projected 3% rise in health-insurance costs, to add lead custodians at each school, to convert a part-time maintenance position to full-time, to add bus-driver capacity and to extend speech-pathologist hours. The plan also budgets roughly $12,267 to maintain after-school tutoring services that had previously relied on at-risk grant funding.
The presentation highlighted a partnership opportunity with the Air Force to stand up a ROC/JOTC-style program at the high school. The division's portion was described as covering one staff member and some start-up costs while the Air Force will provide equipment, a second staff member and training materials; Dr. Joyce and board members cited an $85,200 division cost figure during discussion.
Board members praised the committee's line-by-line review and said the additions were chosen for clear instructional or operational impact. The board will vote on the budget proposal at its March 24 meeting; the division expects to submit the package to the city for its review on or about April 1 and notes the city will proceed with its own first and second readings before adopting a final local budget.
The presentation also noted longer-term budget pressures, including a decline in the locality's Local Composite Index (LCI) and unresolved elements of the state budget process that could affect local revenues and required matches.
What happens next: The board will consider the proposal and vote March 24. If approved by the school board, the division will forward the request to the city for the statutory local-review steps.
