Board hears FY27 budget amendment proposal to direct new state revenue toward pay, utilities and reserves

School finance staff reviewed a proposed amendment to the fiscal year 2027 operating budget that reflects additional state funding in the Commonwealth's final budget. Renee Ewing said the state provided funding for compensation (a salary supplement averaging about 4% for FY27 and FY28), higher at-risk and special-education add-ons, and an increase in the infrastructure-and-operations per-pupil fund; one slide summarized a projected revenue increase of approximately $2,370,000 (bringing FY27 from about $201.5 million to $203.9 million) and another slide listed approximately $2,400,000 in additional revenue.

Administration recommended allocating roughly $1,700,000 for compensation and employee-related adjustments (including ensuring a minimum 3% increase for all teachers and targeted scale adjustments), $200,000 for projected utility cost increases, and a $427,000 reserve for one-time priorities such as textbooks and classroom furnishings. Ewing closed by recommending approval of the amendment and said administration would seek board action; board members asked clarifying questions about timing for payroll inclusion and staff emphasized that acting sooner would allow changes to appear in the August payroll. "Administration is recommending that those resources be allocated in 3 primary areas," Ewing said during the presentation.