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Henrico resident warns proposed budget would cut ELL and special‑education positions
Summary
At the March 26 Henrico County School Board meeting, resident Marlene Sherlock said the proposed county budget would eliminate 30 English‑language‑learner teacher positions and 20 exceptional‑education positions and urged the board to restore them; the board did not respond during public forum and staff will follow up.
Marlene Sherlock, a Fairfield‑district resident, told the Henrico County School Board on March 26 that the county’s proposed budget “allocates 30 fewer English language learner teachers and 20 fewer exceptional ed positions,” and urged the board to restore those posts to support classroom teachers.
Sherlock spoke during the public forum, which the board runs as a time for citizens to address the board without immediate response. “So, 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,’” she asked.
Sherlock also criticized administrative growth and said classroom caseloads are the central issue: “It still comes down to the caseload or classroom size for each teacher,” she said, and urged the board to “go back, find the money for those teachers and assistants.”
The board did not respond to speakers during the public forum. At the direction given at the meeting, a Henrico staff member will follow up with forum speakers after the meeting, the board said. The budget figures Sherlock cited were presented as her allegation; the board did not confirm them on the record during the forum.
Background presented by the speaker tied the ELL staffing discussion to prior board presentations that, she said, had emphasized additional ELL positions to reach or approach state‑mandated ratios. Sherlock also linked staffing to student outcomes, noting disappointing Standards of Learning pass rates at some schools and urging more classroom teachers rather than more administrative hires.
The meeting proceeded after public comment. The board approved the consent agenda (items 8.01–8.39) by voice vote and set a work session for April 16, 2026. The board did not take any public vote in response to the budget comment during the meeting.
What’s next: The board announced a work session for April 16, 2026; any official changes to the division’s staffing levels would be reflected in subsequent budget documents or formal actions by the Board of Supervisors and the school division.
