Residents, teachers and students urge Powhatan supervisors to protect school programs amid $1M+ shortfall

Dozens of teachers, parents, students and residents urged the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 23 to prioritize school funding as the county prepares its budget.

Courtney Jarman, a Powhatan County Public Schools employee, described the day-to-day workload facing teachers and closed her remarks with a direct plea: "Please, approve a budget that supports this." Other speakers emphasized the role of extracurricular programs in student engagement and retention, and said cutting them would accelerate enrollment declines.

Jamie Roland, a 25-year resident, noted uncertainty about the source of the district's more-than-$1,000,000 deficit and said, "I implore you do not cut programs in the school." Multiple educators and students described concrete consequences: a principal called school investment "betting on the children of this community," and students testified that JROTC, show choir and athletics had restored their motivation to attend school.

Speakers pressed supervisors to explore revenue options and to attend upcoming budget workshops; board members responded by encouraging public participation and announcing town halls in March to discuss the budget further. No formal board action on the schools' funding occurred at the meeting; the board said the FY27 recommended budget and CIP had been delivered and that additional workshops and a retreat would follow.