City Schools' Budget Request to Include Increased Support for Elementary Students
School Board got an overview of the budget for fiscal year 2026 at a work session earlier this month. There will be a formal budget presentation later this month.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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Fredericksburg City Public Schools’ budget request for next fiscal year will include more support for the city’s youngest learners.
The division plans to request funding for four or five new elementary teachers to reduce average class sizes in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade; six new kindergarten instructional assistants (two at each of the three elementary schools); and an additional behavior support classroom to be shared between the elementary schools.
Superintendent Marci Catlett and Jennifer Brody, the division’s finance director, presented an overview of the budget request for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1, at a School Board work session on February 3.
Catlett will formally present the budget request a School Board meeting later this month.
Brody said the average kindergarten and 1st grade class size division-wide is 22 students, and the average 2nd grade class size is 23 students. Hiring four or five new elementary teachers will bring the average class size at all three grade levels down to 20 and will cost $400,000-$500,000, she said.
The six new kindergarten instructional assistants will cost $360,000, and the new behavioral support classroom will cost $220,000—the cost of one teacher and two instructional assistants.
Brody said the behavioral support classroom will be shared between the three elementary schools. Students would be assigned there from their home school for a period of two-to-four weeks to receive “behavioral interventions and support from specialist staff,” with a plan to transition back to the home school.
The fiscal year 2026 budget request will also include a 5% salary increase for all staff—an investment of $2.2 million which Brody said will keep the division competitive with Stafford and Spotsylvania counties at the beginning and midpoint of the salary scale.
Other budget requests that will support division staff include an increase in athletic stipends and adjustments to the nurse and transportation staff salary scales.
One of the largest impacts on the budget comes from the proposed $2.5 million operating cost for the new Gladys West Elementary School, Brody said. There are also increases in the cost of health insurance and contracted services.
The budget anticipates $1.6 million in new state revenue for a total of $24.8 million, and a $33.2 million transfer from the City of Fredericksburg’s general fund—but there is a gap of about $5.8 million between the estimated revenues and expenditures, Brody said.
This gap could be filled by “some combination of state or city funding,” she said.
Like all local school divisions, Fredericksburg is experiencing an increase in the number of special education and English learner students, Catlett said. Special education students make up 14% of the total student body; English learners make up 27%; and economically disadvantaged students make up 53%, she said.
The number of students in each of these three subgroups has grown even since September 2024, Catlett said.
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THE TRUMP 2025 USA BUDGET
The Trump administration’s 2025 budget proposal presents a series of policy changes poised to adversely affect average Americans while disproportionately benefiting multinational corporations, CEOs, the wealthiest 1%, and GOP donors. This budget reflects a significant shift in economic priorities, favouring the affluent and undermining support systems for the broader populace.
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The budget proposes significant cuts to Medicaid, the federal program providing health insurance to low-income Americans. These reductions could lead to millions losing access to essential healthcare services, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable populations. While some GOP members advocate for work requirements over spending cuts, the internal party conflict underscores a willingness to compromise public health to fund other priorities, such as tax cuts and border security.
Erosion of Labour Union Rights
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Reduction in IRS Workforce Benefiting Wealthy Tax Evaders
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GQ