Nottoway school board OKs $3.02M carryover, earmarks funds for intercoms and safety upgrades

The Nottoway County Public Schools board on Sept. 18 approved a request to carry $3,024,096.75 from fiscal year 2025 into FY26 and authorized central office staff to work with the Board of Supervisors to complete the transfer.

Mrs. Meyer, who presented the plan, told the board the total reflects a mix of unencumbered direct aid, encumbered direct aid that must be honored and facility rental fees. "It does equal $3,024,096.75," she said, describing proposed uses that include maintaining counseling services, transportation and maintenance supplies, technology needs, and setting aside $800,000 "to actually invest into a money market account where we can start to kind of grow a capital fund." She also asked the board to reserve about $633,000 to begin capital improvements such as new intercom systems in all five schools and a security vestibule at Blackstone Primary.

Board members discussed why the balance exists. Meyer explained much of the savings came from unfilled positions and related benefits; she noted benefits add roughly 26–27% to salary costs. Several members asked about liquidity and recommended discussing penalty‑free withdrawal options if the funds are placed in certificates of deposit; Meyer said she prefers a high‑interest money market account for emergency access.

The board approved the carryover permission by voice vote. The vote was a voice affirmation; no roll call tally was recorded in the public record.

Other fiscal items: Meyer also described a separate FY26 budget adjustment to appropriate additional state funding for areas such as special education, English‑learner services, summer remediation and K‑3 class‑size reduction. The packet referenced an additional state allocation of $407,172, although a motion later in the meeting referenced $107,172 (the packet figure and the motion amount differ in the record and were not reconciled on the public record).

The board also approved two curriculum purchases during the meeting: adoption of Mathspace for grades 6–12 and a Sendero Spanish series for middle and high school; the Spanish series was reported to cost about $56,000. Dr. Martin said Mathspace "meets the requirements of high quality instructional materials from VDOE." The adoptions were approved by voice vote.

The board directed staff to take the carryover request to the Board of Supervisors for final approval; if the county approves the transfer, staff said they will coordinate with the treasurer on where to place the funds and on next steps for the capital fund.

Next steps: staff will present final documentation to the Board of Supervisors and, if approved, begin planning procurement and implementation for the prioritized safety and technology items.