School board adopts FY27 amended budget; staff says state funds are earmarked for raises

The Prince George County School Board voted to adopt amended FY27 budget revisions at the July 27 special work session after staff told the board the additional state revenue was effectively earmarked for salary increases and associated benefits.

Staff member (S4) asked the board to officially approve the updated budget so the county finance office could take similar action at the Board of Supervisors meeting. Administrator/Board member (S6) summarized the change: “Yeah, they essentially gave us 917,000 extra,” and added that the school division had already allocated the funds to salaries and benefits with limited flexibility.

Board members questioned whether the additional dollars might allow restoration of earlier cuts such as health savings account (HSA) contributions. One board member (S6) estimated the HSA reduction saved roughly $800,000 and said it might have approached $1,000,000: “I wanna say it was, like, $800,000. It was close to 1000000 dollars.” Staff and members acknowledged many operational items were pared back to cover personnel costs.

The board also discussed school safety positions. Staff (S4) said the police department had confirmed a school resource officer (SRO) will be assigned to each building, but planned additional school security officers (SSOs) at several schools were reduced because grant funding did not materialize.

After discussion, a board member moved to approve the FY27 amended budget revisions; the motion passed on roll call with a majority in favor and at least one member absent. Staff said they will bring any required amendments or paperwork to the Board of Supervisors as needed.