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Superintendent warns of enrollment drop and nearly $1.9 million budget pressure; board weighs deferring buses and projects
Summary
Washington County School Board leaders were told an enrollment decline and a partly funded $1,500 employee bonus have created roughly $1.9 million in budget pressure for FY26–27; the superintendent outlined options including deferring paving and bus purchases, reducing travel, and relying on staffing turnover to close the gap.
The Washington County School Board heard a detailed budget update from the superintendent, who said an updated March student count leaves the division about 70 students short of the ADM figure used to build the FY26 budget and creates a state revenue shortfall "just over $1,000,000." The superintendent said the shortfall, combined with the locally funded portion of a state-recommended $1,500 bonus for SOQ-funded positions, puts roughly $1,900,000 of pressure on the current-year budget and the FY27 request.
Why it matters: a $1,500 bonus proposal is only partly funded by the state; the division expects $1,100,000 from state funds and is seeking a $388,000 local match from the Board of Supervisors. That still would leave an unfunded amount the superintendent estimated at about $660,000 unless other local funds or cost savings are identified.
"We just got our March 31 count last week...it looks like that our final enrollment will be paid on in June. The final disbursement in June will be $63.80," the superintendent said, adding the district is down about 70 students from the budgeted projection and that the resulting state revenue decline will tighten the operating fund.
Options and trade-offs the superintendent presented include: - Deferring $300,000 in scheduled paving projects to a later year; - Deferring two bus purchases this year (saving about $372,000) and considering deferring a third bus next year; - Realizing approximately $400,000 from turnover and staffing savings by not refilling some vacant positions; - Reducing reimbursed out-of-area athletic trips and asking schools to fund certain extracurricular travel from school-level accounts; - Shifting eligible facility expenses between funds to preserve operating balances.
Board members pressed for clarifications about which positions and services might be affected and emphasized communication to the public. One board member said the slide listing "reduce subs, aids, and custodians" required explanation to avoid community alarm; the superintendent said the intent is to use attrition and redeployment where possible, not immediate layoffs.
The superintendent also noted uncertainty in the final state budget, saying the division is basing its scenarios on the governor’s December proposal while both House and Senate budgets remain in negotiation in Richmond.
The board did not take any budget-cutting votes at the meeting; the superintendent said staff would continue to seek solutions, work with the Board of Supervisors on the local match for the bonus, and return with specifics as negotiations conclude. The board moved on after discussion to other business and later entered closed session to address personnel and student cases.
Ending: the superintendent urged continued advocacy at the state level for a funding formula that does not disproportionately affect small, rural divisions; the board will continue budget deliberations and monitor the state budget process before taking formal action.
