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Fairfield resident presses Henrico school board on ELL, special-education staffing in proposed budget
Summary
At the March 26 meeting, Fairfield resident Marlene Sherlock challenged the division's proposed budget allocation of 30 ELL teachers and 20 exceptional-education positions and urged the board to prioritize classroom staffing and smaller class sizes.
Marlene Sherlock, a Fairfield District resident, used the public forum at the Henrico County School Board's March 26 meeting to question the division's proposed budget, saying it allocates 30 English language learner teachers and 20 exceptional education positions and asking whether those additions would force cuts elsewhere.
"Are you going to now go back to your budget and cut something else to find the funding for those positions you said were needed, or are you just going to shrug your shoulders and say, 'Well, we're doing what we can with the funding our board of supervisors decided to grant us,'" Sherlock asked. She added that, in her view, the district should "go back, find the money for those teachers and assistants, and maybe make some room for the administrative and legal fees you'll incur for the unions that are coming." (Marlene Sherlock, public comment.)
Sherlock told the board she was concerned about classroom caseloads and the toll of administrative tasks on teachers, arguing that increasing the number of coaches or teachers-of-teachers does not substitute for more hands in classrooms. She also suggested changing the label "English language learners," saying "English as a second or third or even fourth language is a far better label." (Marlene Sherlock, public comment.)
Board policy for the public forum, which was read aloud before comments began, prevents board members from responding to speakers during the forum; a staff member will follow up with commenters afterward and written comments submitted online are posted in board documents, the clerk said. The transcript shows no immediate board response to Sherlock's remarks during the meeting.
No formal vote or budget action occurred during the public forum. The board completed its agenda, approved its consent items by voice vote, and set a work session for April 16, 2026. Staff follow-up on the points raised in public comment was announced as the process for the board to address concerns raised in the forum.
