With lower raises than planned, Augusta County Schools approves 2025-26 budget
VERONA — The Augusta County School Board approved a $151.9 million balanced budget at its regular business meeting Thursday, March 20.
The budget includes a 3% raise for all staff and a 7% raise for bus drivers, both lower than the board had hoped for but necessary to balance the expenses to projected revenue.
In a work session before the regular meeting Thursday, Superintendent Eric Bond told board members that they are still waiting for Gov. Glenn Youngkin to approve the budget sent to him by the General Assembly. Bond said in putting together the school budget, staff used projected state revenue from the General Assembly's budget of $91.2 million. That number is based off an average daily membership of 9,500 students in Augusta County.
Middle school football to launch in the fall after Augusta County School Board approves program
On Monday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin made more than 200 budget amendments and vetoed eight budget items. The General Assembly now will take up the governor's vetoes and amendments when it returns to Richmond next week.
The revenue for Augusta County Public Schools also includes a projected $53.99 million in local appropriations from the Board of Supervisors. That accounts for approximately 35.5% of the revenues.
At the beginning of the night, expenditures exceeded revenue by $3.7 million. During a work session, the cuts to expenditures included numerous items that were on the board's wish list but hadn't yet been implemented.
"We tried to touch things we don't have now," Bond told the board.
Nourishing Strides 5K, Project Grows youth program and SAW Housing Lunch & Learn: The Digest
That included eliminating additional coaching and transportation department stipends and 10 new staffing positions. No cuts will be made to existing staff positions. The board also eliminated a reorganization of the support staff salary scales. Bond said the hope was to make those salaries more competitive, and staff would still like to do that in a future budget.
Reducing staff raises from a 4% to 3% raise, and bus driver raises from 15% to 7%, helped reduce expenditures also, enabling the board to pass a balanced budget.
The 3% raise equals what Waynesboro Public Schools approved. Staunton has yet to pass its budget, but in a presentation at its March meeting the division is planning a 4% raise for staff with an additional 1% for teachers with 20 or more years of service.
More: PD: Western State Hospital employee in Staunton injured in attack, suspect arrested
More: Fort Defiance High, Wilson Middle bands recognized as state programs of honor
— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Augusta County School Board balances budget with lower raises than planned
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
16 minutes ago
- Associated Press
South Carolina's Republican governor keeps veto pen mostly capped for budget
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The invitation from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he was bringing reporters together Wednesday to talk about his vetoes in the state budget. But instead, it was a victory lap for both the Republican governor and the Republican-dominated General Assembly as McMaster spent his time talking about all his priorities that the legislature kept in the spending plan — not the 10 things worth $10,000 he took out of the 2025-26 fiscal year budget. It was a stark reminder after nine years in office how much different McMaster is than his previous Republican predecessors, governors who relished in fighting the General Assembly, then often ripped into them or ignored their ideas on how to spend the state's billions of dollars. 'Back in the old days, nobody was talking to anybody,' McMaster said, repeating his favorite tagline of 'communication, collaboration and cooperation.' McMaster issued 10 vetoes from the state's $14.5 billion spending plan that starts July 1. Just one struck money from the budget — $10,000 for what McMaster said was a duplicative effort to review a state agency. Ten years ago, Gov. Nikki Haley struck 87 items from the $7 billion budget totaling more than $18 million. And in 2005, Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed 163 items worth $96 million from the $5.8 billion spending plan. A year later, an exasperated Sanford vetoed the entire budget and lawmakers quickly overrode him by wide margins. Instead of spending, McMaster's handful of vetoes were on rules like getting rid of a requirement that visitors to the new Pine Island State Park make reservations or striking out of the budget a provision allowing some school districts to use private companies for security. There are so few vetoes that lawmakers don't expect to return to the Statehouse to try to override them. McMaster kept what is effectively an $18,000 per year raise for the General Assembly in the budget. Lawmakers will see their 'in-district compensation' — money set aside for legislative duties that has few limits on how it can be spent — increase from $1,000 a month to $2,500 a month for all 46 senators and 124 House members. The monthly stipend for lawmakers has not been increased in about 30 years. Their in-district compensation would increase from $12,000 a year to $30,000. Lawmakers also get an annual salary of $10,400 that has not changed since 1990. In addition, they get money for meals, mileage to drive to Columbia and hotel rooms while in session. The rest of the spending plan was much less controversial. There are pay raises for teachers, and the state's highest income tax rate will be cut from 6.2% to 6%. There is $200 million to fix bridges, $35 million to pay for cleanup from Hurricane Helene last year and $50 million for a program to let parents use tax money to pay private school tuition that will undergo court scrutiny. About 80% of the more than $14 billion the state will spend next year is what the governor asked for back in January when he suggested a spending plan to lawmakers, a relationship he has carefully cultivated since 2017. 'Many of us are like a family. We go back a long way,' McMaster said. 'You try to understand the other fellow's point of view. sometimes he's right and I'm wrong. sometimes it's the other way. Sometimes we're talking about the same things but using different words.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Youngkin orders flags to be lowered to honor Jerrauld Jones
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Governor Glenn Youngkin ordered all flags to be lowered to half-staff on Wednesday to honor longtime judge and state delegate Jerrauld C. Jones. Jerrauld Jones, civil rights pioneer and state delegate, dies at 70 Jones' family announced that he died on Saturday, May 31 at the age of 70. Jones became the first African American law clerk to the Supreme Court of Virginia, served as a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates for 14 years, represented Norfolk's 89th District and served as the long-time chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. The order states that all flags will be lowered at sunrise on Wednesday, June 4 and are to remain at half-staff until sunset. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Politico
6 hours ago
- Politico
Welch on transit, energy, da Bears
Presented by Good Wednesday morning, Illinois. I'm talking to young journalists today about why newsletters matter. TOP TALKER PLAYBOOK Q&A: Illinois House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch acknowledges some of the biggest legislative goals didn't make it over the finish line last week in the General Assembly because the bills just weren't ready. Three big bills that fizzled include legislation to fix the transit fiscal cliff, the state's over-tasked power grid and Tier 2 pensions, which affect public employees hired after Jan. 1, 2011. 'There's still a lot that has to get done. You have to take your time and get it right. You can't rush and get it wrong,' Welch told your Playbook host. 'I mean, we wanna make sure that when we put something on the board it's ready for prime time and produce the best results for everyone,' said Welch, who wrapped up his fifth year as House speaker. The next step is to address the transit cliff, an energy bill and pensions during a fall veto session in the fall, he said. Here's our interview, edited for length and clarity. How did you get to this place where big bills discussed for months didn't get done? We remain committed to continue to do the work. In my five years, there's a lot of things that were left undone in May that we got done at subsequent times and that's what we're committed to doing. The transit legislation has been discussed for months. What was the sticking point and what's next? First, I think the House leaders who were appointed to lead that effort — Eva-Dina Delgado and Kam Buckner — are truly passionate about transit. They are transit geeks, and I applaud them for their work. Their working group spent more than a year looking for reforms. We wanted to do that before talking about funding. We cannot ask taxpayers to put more money into a failing system. I know they're close with regard to agreement on funding and governance, but they're not there yet. We want taxpayers to know that we're demanding changes to a broken system before we throw money at the problem. Do you support the legislation sent to the House from the Senate that included a funding mechanism to add a $1.50 fee on retail deliveries? I do not. It was DOA before they sent it. There's some differences in the reform and governance piece. The House has not even talked about funding because we were focused on reforms first. I'm not gonna put something on the board that my caucus has not discussed. Transit officials have warned about a fiscal cliff in which Covid monies will run out by the end of the year and lead to layoffs. Have you talked to transit officials about that? They will do what they have to do, but from our standpoint, transit is funded through the end of the year. We know the challenges they face. But we want to make sure that reforms come before funding. We're going to keep doing the work here in the summer and in the fall. We're going to be back for a veto session in October. Legislation to address the state's power grid by adding wind and solar and battery storage also failed to win approval. What happened? Our energy conversations were very reminiscent of my first year as speaker in 2021 when we thought we were there and then worked through the summer to get something done in September, which turned out to be one of the most important pieces of energy I've ever seen. Conversations are going to continue, and we're going to get the best result that we possibly can. And what about the proposal to improve the pension system for government employees hired since 2011? That bill is projected to cost quite a bit of money. We heard a lot from the business community and we need to make sure that all stakeholders are part of the conversation. There's been a lot of hand wringing about if and whether to give state funding to the Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox. Are those issues dead in the water? The Bears and the White Sox should take a look at the Chicago Fire, which is leading the way by building a stadium with private funding. It's going to be transformative. It's going to be great for the state. It's on par with the Ricketts family building in Wrigleyville for the Chicago Cubs. It's the right approach. I think the Bears in the White Sox should take note. Switching to politics — because we're POLITICO. Your name has popped up as possibly filling the lieutenant governor seat if Gov. JB Pritzker runs again. Or even running for governor if he doesn't. I'm so flattered that people put my name in those conversations, but I love the job that I currently have. I get to walk into that beautiful building and serve as the people's speaker. It's an honor of a lifetime and I'm going to continue to do that as long as the people will have me. RELATED Chicago Fire plan to build $650M soccer stadium at The 78 in South Loop: It would be privately financed, by the Tribune's Robert Channick Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson urges state lawmakers to tax the 'ultra rich' to avert mass transit cuts, by the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman With electric prices going up, advocates tried — and failed — to reform the energy sector, by Capitol News' Andrew Adams Lawmakers again fail to act on hemp, while a new study highlights growing health concerns, by the Tribune's Robert McCoppin THE BUZZ ENDORSEMENT PRIDE: Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her wife, Amy Eshleman, have endorsed Congresswoman Robin Kelly in her bid for the U.S. Senate. The former mayor leads a list of LGBTQ+ leaders backing Kelly in her bid to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Also on the list are Chicago Alds. Bennett Lawson and Lamont Robinson, Kane County Commissioner Alex Arroyo and AIDS Foundation Chicago CEO John Peller. The full list is here. 'We stand behind Robin Kelly because she has always stood with us,' Robinson, chair of the council's LGBTQ caucus, said in a statement. 'I personally experienced her resolve when she stood with me to save Mercy Hospital and the vital role it plays in my community.' If you are Chicago Fire owner Joe Mansueto, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@ WHERE'S JB No official public events WHERE's BRANDON At 1002 South Racine Avenue at 1 p.m. for the Roosevelt Square ribbon-cutting Where's Toni At Mount Olivet Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. with the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cook County officials for a committal service for indigent, unknown and unborn persons Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a (gasp!) complaint? Email skapos@ BUSINESS OF POLITICS — In IL-02: State Sen. Robert Peters has been endorsed by some Black Caucus members from the Chicago City Council and the Illinois General Assembly. Here's the list. — Patrick Hanley, who's running for state Senate, has been endorsed by MWRD Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis. Hanley is running for the 9th District seat now held by state Sen. Laura Fine, who's running for Congress. — Nick Uniejewski, who's running in the Democratic primary against state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (6th District), talks about running his campaign like a dinner party, via H Kapp-Klote's blog. HIGHER-ED — University of Illinois — long home to thousands of foreign students — braces for visa revocations for Chinese: 'The school's flagship campus, which has the second largest number of international students of all public universities in the country, could be hit hard by Trump's plan to revoke Chinese student visas,' by the Sun-Times' Violet Miller, Pat Nabong and Kade Heather. THE STATEWIDES — MADIGAN: Seeking stiff sentence for Madigan, feds allege a secret effort to block rules on legislators practicing before state tax board: 'Prosecutors described an alleged episode of backroom political intrigue that was not presented to the jury at trial: the 2018 derailment of a proposal by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner that directly threatened to reduce profits at Madigan's law firm,' by the Tribune's Jason Meisner and Ray Long — Meta strikes deal with downstate nuclear plant to power AI, by the Sun-Times' Brett Chase — Federal government removes list that targeted Illinois cities, counties on immigration, by Peoria Journal Star's JJ Bullock — Report ranks Illinois among safest states for LGBTQ+ communities, citing laws and family support, by USA Today's Hannah Hudnall CHICAGO — Implement a Chicago grocery tax, Mayor Brandon Johnson tells aldermen: 'Failing to install the tax would blow an additional $80 million hole in Chicago's 2026 budget as the city already faces a budget gap of around $1 billion, Budget Director Annette Guzman said,' by the Tribune's Jake Sheridan. — 19 Council members sign letter calling out mayor for paying Ernst & Young $3.1 million to look at city financing, via Crain's Justin Laurence Their letter is here. — Aldermen, Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration officials argue over credit downgrade, by the Tribune's A.D. Quig — Chicago is sinking: Land under our feet is retreating more than most cities: 'Chicago is the fifth-fastest-sinking major city in the United States, according to a new study. While the city is only sinking by a few millimeters every year, experts say the shift could damage buildings and other infrastructure,' by the Block Club's Molly DeVore. Reader Digest We asked about the one exercise you try to do every day. Andrew Davis: 'I definitely stretch every day.' G. A. Finch: '100 pushups.' Cynthia Given: 'Walk for an hour on the trail in my city park (unless the temperature dips below my age).' Carlton Hull: 'Sit-ups.' Ed Mazur: 'A walk around my block at least once a day.' Marilynn Miller: 'I try to walk at least some every day. At my age (91), 'if you don't use it, you lose it.'' Timothy Powell: 'Bike 20-30 miles every day/year-round in rain, snow and hot weather. Hills, wind and dangerous vehicles are my enemies.' Timothy Thomas: 'At least 100 push-ups and sit-ups before going to bed for the evening.' NEXT QUESTION: What's your favorite ballpark food? KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION — Mike Quigley takes a shot at House Democratic grandees: 'The nine-term Chicago Democrat criticized former party leaders who have since claimed gavels,' by POLITICO's Ben Jacobs and Nicholas Wu. THE NATIONAL TAKE — 'Disgusting abomination': Musk goes nuclear on Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' by POLITICO's Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing — White House allies 'disappointed' at Musk's opposition to megabill, by POLITICO's Adam Wren, Adam Cancryn and Dasha Burns — Thune acts fast to cut deals and move Trump's megabill, by POLITICO's Jordain Carney Transitions — The Human Rights Campaign is adding Jonathan Lovitz as SVP of campaigns and comms and Amy Peña as SVP and general counsel. Lovitz most recently was a director of public affairs and senior adviser at the Biden Commerce Department. Peña was general counsel for the Chicago Community Trust. — Benjamin Berkman is now a senior attorney with Romanucci & Blandin's civil rights team in Chicago. Berkman was the chief assistant inspector general for legal counsel in the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General. — Joseph Mahoney and Erick Palmer have joined Honigman in its Chicago office as partners in the intellectual property litigation practice group. They both have joined from Mayer Brown. EVENTS — Today: State Reps. Lisa Davis and Michael Crawford will be feted at a fundraiser hosted by fellow Reps. Kam Buckner and Nick Smith. Details here — Saturday: State Rep. La Shawn Ford will lead 50+ bikers on a 50-mile 'Bike Across Chicago' from Cabrini-Green to Altgeld Gardens to raise money for the nonprofit By The Hand Club For Kids. Details here — Saturday: The Rose Fitzpatrick Legislative Breakfast & Awards is being held. The event is organized by the Bloomingdale Township Democratic Organization. Details here — June 26: Chicago Ald. William Hall is hosting a birthday party fundraiser. Details here TRIVIA TUESDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Brendan O'Sullivan for correctly answering that Brian Doherty was the Golden Gloves champ who was elected alderman. TODAY's QUESTION: What two counties in Illinois are named after a governor of New York? Email skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Richland County Board Member and chair of the Richland County Democratic Central Committee Cynthia Given, Retired water commissioner Frank Avila, attorney Kevin Fanning, Good Realty Group President Sheldon Good and PR pro Lynda O'Connor -30-
