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Greensville County Public Schools proposes $40.09 million FY2027 operating budget; officials press for clarity on local request
Summary
At a March 19 joint meeting in Emporia, Acting Superintendent Dr. Yardley Farquharson presented a balanced $40,085,370 FY2027 operating budget and highlighted required local funding figures and cost drivers including a 2% pay proposal and rising health insurance costs; council members pressed administrators on enrollment decline, lost grants and the local funding impact.
Dr. Yardley Farquharson, acting superintendent of Greensville County Public Schools, presented the division's proposed FY2027 operating budget to a joint meeting of Emporia City Council and the Greensville County Board of Supervisors on March 19, identifying a $40,085,370 operating budget and slide figures showing local revenue needs of $6,839,663 and $4,951,705.
The presentation said the budget is balanced, allocates roughly 74% of expenditures to instruction, and includes an estimated 0.8% increase over FY2026 ($340,948). Administrators said the FY27 proposal was developed with a disciplined, line-by-line review and $732,996 in identified adjustments through cost containment rather than a straight rollover.
Why it matters: Council members said the local funding request felt large to jurisdictions already facing revenue pressures. Councilman James C. Saunders noted an anticipated $500,000 loss of revenue from one industry in the coming year and asked how the division's local request could rise while overall budget growth remained small.
Administrators said several factors drove the need for more local support. Slides and staff comments identified a state-recommended 2% compensation adjustment for SOQ-funded positions and an estimated 7% increase in health insurance premiums as primary cost drivers (slides list a $419,415 compensation adjustment and a $237,000 health premium increase). Staff also said the phase-out of certain state reading grants and changes to federal allocation formulas have reduced external funding and increased internal budgetary pressure.
Council questions focused on enrollment and program capacity. The presentation showed about 1,907 students K'012 in the division and a projected ADM figure near 1,844; staff and trustees noted enrollment has fallen over time and is expected to continue declining. Councilwoman Alvina Matthews and others pressed for specifics about how local and grant funds support pre-K slots; staff said roughly 51 students were served at one point and later cited about 76 students across four pre-K classes averaging about 19 students each, and they said they plan to apply in May for additional state-allocated slots but that a waitlist could remain if more slots are not approved.
Councilman Saunders also raised long-range fiscal concerns, saying he has reviewed capital needs and questioned whether the locality can sustain separate systems in the long term; he urged collective advocacy and study of regional options. Administrators described the FY27 budget as maintaining core academic and support programs while protecting college-readiness initiatives but acknowledged the division faces multi-year enrollment and revenue pressures.
No formal vote was taken on the operating budget during the joint meeting. The school administration said it will continue to work with city and county leaders on local funding levels and to pursue available grant opportunities.
