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Warren County schools ask county for roughly $7.2 million as FY27 gap grows; largest share for pay raises
Summary
Warren County Public Schools told supervisors it needs about $7.2 million more from the county for FY27 — including a roughly $5.8 million operating increase, $200,000 for textbooks and $1.2 million for capital projects — driven largely by a proposed 4% salary increase plus step movement and rising insurance costs.
Warren County Public Schools on Tuesday presented a preliminary FY27 operating request that would raise total operating spending to about $82.6 million, producing an operating-year gap of roughly $5.8 million versus projected revenue and a combined county funding ask of approximately $7.2 million when textbook and capital requests are included.
The superintendent’s team framed the request as preliminary: the school board has not adopted a budget and key inputs — most notably state aid and the school division’s health-insurance renewal — remain uncertain. Finance staff told supervisors the division used the governor’s December budget proposal as a placeholder for state revenue while awaiting final numbers from the Department of Education.
Why it matters: the biggest single driver of the proposed increase is personnel. The division proposes a 4% across‑the‑board salary increase plus normal step advancement to improve competitiveness with neighboring jurisdictions and to help recruit and retain teachers, nurses and bus drivers. Staff said salary and benefits together account for the lion’s share of the total budget and that health-insurance costs are projected to rise roughly 12% for FY27 — a change that would add about $8.3–$8.4 million in employer-side premiums to the schools’ obligations.
Enrollment and structural pressure: staff noted average daily membership has declined from about 5,200 students in 2020 to roughly 4,750 this year and projected about 4,692 for next year. The division estimates roughly $3.3 million in cumulative lost state revenue tied to declining enrollment, a long-term factor that reduces per‑pupil funding while fixed costs for buildings, transportation and required services remain largely unchanged.
Budget tradeoffs and positions: the packet lists 8.5 proposed new FTEs and about five positions the division hopes to absorb through retirements and resignations, for a net increase of approximately 3.5 FTEs. New or enhanced roles include a pupil‑services director, a general‑education BCBA (behavior specialist), a systems technician for cybersecurity, two psychologist interns (intended to be offset by Medicaid billing), and a financial analyst to support tighter special‑education accounting requirements.
Process and next steps: the school board plans a public work session scheduled for Feb. 18 and expects to adopt its budget in time to present an adopted request to the Board of Supervisors on March 4. School leaders repeatedly emphasized the request is subject to change once state and insurance numbers are final and welcomed supervisors’ feedback before adoption.
Quote: “We’re here to advocate for our schools, but we also understand you have other departments to support and you’re spread very thin,” Dr. Wright said, asking supervisors for candid feedback as the budget is refined.
What’s next: supervisors asked staff for clarifying comparisons of total compensation (salary plus benefits) with neighboring counties; staff agreed to return with more detailed, side‑by‑side figures once renewals and final revenue inputs are known.
