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Goochland schools present FY2026 budget calling for 3% cost-of-living increase and a larger county transfer
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Comardi presented the school boards adopted FY2026 budget to the Board of Supervisors, highlighting a 3% cost-of-living increase for eligible employees, a recommended county transfer increase of $1,384,000 (4.7%), enrollment gains and a list of prioritized unfunded needs the division will pursue if surplus funds materialize.
Dr. Comardi, the superintendent, presented the School Boards adopted FY2026 budget to the Board of Supervisors on March 4, reviewing enrollment trends, recent achievements and new investments.
"We had an increase in enrollment of about 71 students," Dr. Comardi said, pointing to an unexpectedly large kindergarten cohort and noting that the divisions September enrollment and average daily membership figures drive state reimbursement projections.
Key budget points included a recommended county transfer increase of $1,384,000 (about 4.7% more than FY2025), a proposed 3% cost-of-living adjustment for all employees with satisfactory evaluations, and $892,981 in new investments across strategic goals. Dr. Comardi said the proposed county transfer would total $31,129,844 in the upcoming fiscal year.
He emphasized priorities tied to the divisions strategic plan, including an increase to instructional staff (noting a partial assistant principal adjustment for Guichland Elementary), a full-time equivalent increase for ESL instruction, additional special education resources, textbook adoptions, and capital/technology investments. He also described "strategic abandonment" items totaling $662,558 in initiatives the division will pause or discontinue to cover other priorities.
Board members asked for more granular breakdowns for town-hall materials and sought clarity on how federal grants and carryover funds affected the budget. Dr. Comardi noted that some funding figures are contingent on state and federal actions (including possible changes to Virginia Preschool Initiative funding and Head Start) and that federal grant expirations account for some of the budget adjustments.
The superintendent closed by listing unfunded priorities that would be addressed if surplus or additional funding becomes available, such as additional interventionists, a 65-passenger school bus, and increases to CTE and band staffing.
Next steps: the county and school staff will continue joint budget discussions in upcoming two-by-two meetings and at scheduled town halls; further refinement and the boards budget decision will determine which unfunded needs, if any, can be funded.
