Nelson County leaders and school officials outline FY25 needs as state funding drops

Ernie Q. Reed, Central District Supervisor and vice chair of the Nelson County Board of Supervisors, and George Cheape, chair of the Nelson County School Board, convened a joint meeting on April 18 to review the school division’s FY25 budget and discuss shared long-term priorities.

Dr. Amanda Hester, Superintendent of Nelson County Public Schools, presented the school budget and told both boards that personnel accounts for about 80% of the division’s costs and that a 3% salary increase for all staff was included in the request. She said the division faces a roughly $1.8 million gap between the School Board’s FY25 request ($20,330,981) and the state-calculated local share, and that the Local Composite Index (LCI) change reduced projected state revenue by about $1.1 million.

"A budget is a financial representation of what is valued," Dr. Hester said, stressing the division’s priorities of safety, K–12 literacy, social and emotional supports, and workforce readiness. She added that the division is proposing targeted additions: an elementary teacher to cover increased kindergarten registrations, another ESOL/ELL teacher as enrollment of English learners has risen sharply, and an additional behavior specialist to respond to increasing behavioral needs among younger students.

Hester provided per-pupil figures from the state tool to show cost drivers: an overall blended cost of $22,352.26 per student, $19,532.51 for regular education, and $34,105.03 for special education. She said on March 31 the division’s funded enrollment was 1,421.25 and that one student change affects state revenue by roughly $5,135 and local match by about $10,174.

School and county officials discussed why special education and ELL costs are higher than the state averages and how regional programs such as the Piedmont Regional Education Program (PREP) and Ivy Creek provide specialized services that would be more expensive for the division to replicate locally. "If Ivy Creek moved or costs rose, we would still have the same legal responsibilities to educate those students," Hester said.

Board members from both bodies stressed the need for ongoing joint planning. Supervisor Jesse N. Rutherford said he was "not a fan of kicking the can down the road," arguing the county should avoid deferring costs that create larger obligations for future boards. School Board Chair George Cheape urged more frequent 1x1 and 2x2 meetings and suggested the two bodies schedule regular joint planning sessions beyond the budget season.

The boards also discussed recruitment and retention: Hester noted Nelson’s challenges competing with nearby divisions such as Charlottesville and Albemarle for teachers, and cited housing availability and pay as major constraints. Assistant Superintendent Shannon Irvin flagged SOQ ratio thresholds for ELL staffing and said the division’s ELL growth (31.91% year-over-year) could legally require additional hires.

Transportation and capital maintenance were raised as immediate operating pressures. Hester said 11 daily-route buses and three daily-route cars are older than the DOE-recommended 15-year replacement window and that a typical new air-conditioned bus costs about $135,000. The division recently received two electric buses via grant and will evaluate their operational performance.

Both boards acknowledged the High School renovation project and the county’s debt-service choices. County staff described multiple debt-service scenarios tied to a $57 million borrowing capacity and a currently committed debt of $35.1 million; options examined included beginning additional annual transfers of $610,000 in 2025 or phasing smaller contributions with later catch-up payments. Linda K. Staton, director of finance and human resources, and County Administrator Candice W. McGarry reviewed scenarios to show long-term impacts through 2053.

The joint session closed with agreement to continue budget deliberations: the boards plan further discussions and scheduled the Board of Supervisors' next budget work session for April 22 to finalize figures to advertise the county budget for public hearing, with adjustments to follow once the General Assembly completes its state budget.

The joint meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.; the county meeting was continued to April 22, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.