Caroline County schools present FY27 budget, request 3% local raise above state share

Superintendent Sarah Kalvarick and school division leaders presented the adopted FY27 operations budget to the Board of Supervisors, outlining four priorities tied to the Achieve 2027 strategic plan: teaching and learning; relationships; health and safety; and talent management.

Marsha Stevens, chief operations officer, summarized state budget context and noted Governor Youngkin’s proposed biennial package includes $543.8 million for rebenchmarking and a 2% salary increase for standards‑of‑quality positions. CCPS is using an average daily membership (ADM) assumption of 4,340 for FY27 and reported a projected $2,040,467 increase in state revenues. "Based on the governor's proposed budget, the board of supervisors required local match is $1,030,000," Stevens said.

School leaders requested a 3% local pay increase for all staff in FY27 (the 3% request is inclusive of steps), arguing sustained local investment is needed to remain competitive; the division also identified a $1,700,000 increase necessary for contracted special education services and a projected operational gap of $1,800,000 if no local increase is adopted. The county administrator will present the county’s FY27 budget on March 10; a public hearing is slated for April 7.