$65.2 million School Budget passed without a word of comment by the Board of Supervisors or the public

One of the largest school budgets in recent memory sailed through the Board of Supervisors with no comments from either Board members or the public at the county fathers’ April 27 meeting.

The Board of Supervisors conducted its public hearing on the fiscal year 2021-2022 budget on April 20. No one from the public commented then, either. Nor was there comment when the School Board approved the Budget in late March.

The school budget of $65.2 million is an increase of $6.2 million over last year’s funding. The budget provides for a one-step increase for eligible employees, a 3% salary scale adjustment to classified and certificated scales, and 2% in administrator pay adjustments.

Additionally, the budget includes new employees, including a new social worker, a gifted teacher, an operations maintenance employee, and six special education instructional assistants.

The budget also includes funding for a virtual academy. The BCPS Virtual Academy will allow students, on a no fee contracted 1 year basis, to remain virtual. The classes are to be taught by a third party provider but have all the benefit associated with attending their school in person. That would include Sports, Band and other extracurricualr activities. As of last school board meeting there were under 50 students signed up for the Academy.

The county will fund $26.4 million of the budget. The remaining funds of $28 million come from the state. Much of the state money for pay increases had to be matched by the locality in order to receive the funds, and some of it was CARES ACT money. The federal government is tossing in $50,000, and other non-named sources of funding amount to $580,000. Additionally, the school instructional programs with self-sustaining funds make up $4.4 million of the budget.

The Board of Supervisors has not yet passed the county’s budget. The county’s proposed budget, which includes the school funding noted above, is $111 million, a 7.2% increase over last year’s numbers. No change has been proposed to the county’s tax rate.

                                                   — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee. Cathy Benson contributed to this story