Stafford School Board Adopts Budget Supporting New Schools' Operating Costs, Staff Salary Raise
Some deferred expenses will be added back when the General Assembly's budget for next fiscal year is finalized.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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The Stafford School Board at a special called meeting on Wednesday unanimously approved a $525.9 million budget for fiscal year 2027, which will support the opening of three new schools in August and an average 4.75% pay increase for staff.
It also brings the starting salary for first year teachers to $54,000, nearing that of first year teachers in Spotsylvania (approved at $54,902 for fiscal year 2027).
The Stafford Board of Supervisors earlier this week adopted the countywide budget, which includes $15 million in new funding for the school division.
“We are grateful for the Board of Supervisors’ commitment to funding our schools in a way that allows us to open three new schools on time this fall and to provide competitive, comparable salary increases for our staff,” said Elizabeth Warner, School Board Chair. “This level of support reflects a shared understanding of the importance of attracting and retaining high-quality educators and staff for our students.”
The total allocation to the school division is about $3.9 million short of what the School Board requested, superintendent Daniel Smith said at Wednesday’s work session.
The School Board had to revise its budget ask to add $450,000 for gas, after prices began climbing earlier this spring.
In order to balance the budget, Smith and staff recommended not adding one full-time position in central office; shifting another position to grant-funding; delaying adding eight middle school security officers; delaying the purchase of new buses, textbooks, and other department needs; and adjusting staffing standards for instructional paraprofessionals.
These deferred expenses could be added back into the budget once there is a better understanding of how much state funding will be coming to the division.
There are two versions of a state budget being considered in the General Assembly. The House of Delegates’ version would provide an additional $2.5 million in recurring funding to Stafford schools and support a 2% salary increase, Smith said, while the Senate’s version would provide $4.1 million in recurring dollars and a 3% raise.
“So the House budget is the floor, and the Senate budget is the ceiling,” Smith said. “We are likely to end up somewhere in between.”
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