Manassas Park superintendent proposes FY24 budget with pay-scale changes, repurposed vacancies and cautious outlook after state funding error

Doctor Saunders presented the Manassas Park City Public Schools superintendentY24 proposed budget and framed the plan around four priorities: student achievement, compensation, service and organization, and strategic planning. "Tonight, I will be presenting to you a balanced budget, that shows the highlights of our needs," Saunders said during the presentation.

The proposal includes changes to pay scales for classified and managerial staff and a step-plus-1% adjustment for teachers. Saunders described the classified and managerial scale changes as an average 8.2% increase for those scales and said teacher step increases average about 4.4%. "We have included the revised classified pay scale and a revised managerial pay scale. It is an average of 8.2% increase," Saunders said. Finance director Mister Lyon told the board the combined average raise across all employees and teachers in the proposed scales is 6.9%.

Staffing changes in the superintendent's proposal do not add net new FTEs: five FY23 unfilled positions are being repurposed to priorities the division identified. Saunders said those repurposed roles include two reading intervention assistants at Manassas Park Middle School, a special-education transition services teacher at the high school, a student-assistance support specialist at Manassas Park Elementary School, and a contract adjustment to a pre-K supervisor at Cougar Elementary School. "Again, these are not new FTEs. They are repurposed vacancies that we had," Saunders said.

Saunders and Lyon warned that a correction to state basic-aid calculations from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has reduced projected state revenue. Saunders said the division's estimated impact from the VDOE correction was about $185,000 for FY23 and about $455,000 for FY24, prompting last-minute budget redirections. "On Friday, January 27, we received a superintendent's email from VDOE detailing the correction to the basic aid estimates and a formula to make that correction," Saunders said. Board members were told the division cannot assume those dollars will be restored without action from the General Assembly.

The presentation reviewed revenue and spending by fund. Lyon said the FY24 revenue picture in the slides reflected roughly 65% state (Commonwealth) funding, about 27% city funding, and about 7.4% federal funding; Lyon pointed to a $47,900,000 general fund number shown on the slide. He also said ESSER federal grants are winding down, reducing federal fund spending by about $2.5 million in the proposed budget and creating long-term pressure on local dollars. Lyon told the board the school nutrition fund is projected to spend about $2.6 million and that the district is intentionally drawing down a fund balance per state request.

The superintendent noted one contract that has relied on ESSER funds: the Evidence Based Classroom Solutions (EBCS) program, for which Saunders said the division had used $355,000 in ESSER funding this year. "ESSER funds are coming to an end," she said, adding that programs now paid with ESSER will ultimately need local funding if they continue.

Lyon presented a five-year forecast under the division's assumptions (annual steps for employees, a 2% COLA every other year, non-personnel costs held flat) and warned the model shows a structural shortfall within a few years if current assumptions hold and local revenue does not increase. He said the budget assumes 504 FTEs compared with 511 presented last year and reiterated class-size targets: K'2 at 22:1, grades 4'5 at about 26:1, and middle/high around 26:1.

Board members asked for clarity on the pay-scale footnote that said steps do not automatically equate to years of experience while the presentation used years-to-steps placement for the initial rollout. Saunders said the footnote is a caution: placement uses years of service in this proposal but future adjustments or freezes could change how steps are awarded. A board member asked how the proposed teacher increase compares regionally; Saunders said local discussions show regional increases ranging from about 4% to 7%, citing Prince William County at roughly 5% as a point of comparison.

Next steps outlined by the superintendent included a public budget hearing on Feb. 27, anticipated board adoption on March 13, and presentation of the adopted budget to the governing body on March 21. Lyon and Saunders will provide a shared Google Doc for board members to submit and view questions and responses during the budget review process. The meeting adjourned after those announcements.

What remains unresolved: the final FY24 state funding figures depend on potential legislative action following the VDOE correction; the board will consider the division's priorities and any state changes at the public hearing and subsequent meetings.

Sources: Presentation and discussion at the Manassas Park City Public Schools board meeting (superintendent Doctor Saunders; executive director of finance Mister Lyon).