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Kanawha County Board hears $403 million preliminary FY 2027 budget; enrollment drop forces 137 funded-position reduction
Summary
At a public hearing, Melanie Meadows presented a preliminary FY 2027 operating budget of about $403 million, told the board a steep enrollment decline compelled the district to cut 137 state-funded positions, and said a newly announced charter school and state-mandated pay raises further changed the district’s revenue and expenditure outlook.
Melanie Meadows presented the Kanawha County Board of Education's preliminary operating budget for fiscal year 2027 at a statutory public hearing called at 4:00 p.m., saying the district's proposed grand total is about $403 million and represents roughly a 1% change from the prior year.
Meadows framed the budget around four primary funds — the general current expense fund (the district’s main operating fund), the special revenue fund (grants), the permanent improvement fund and the public library excess levy fund — and said wages and benefits remain the largest single cost. "We have to enter every account number into the accounting system. It has to be submitted to WVD," she said, adding that proposed revenues must equal proposed expenditures because accounting standards require a balanced budget.
The presenter told the board the district is seeing a notable enrollment decline, which directly reduces state-funded staffing. "This year we were down 137 funded positions compared to the prior year,"…
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