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Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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@ and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Augusta County School Board balances budget with lower raises than planned
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Jury trial begins Tuesday for Waynesboro man charged with murder
WAYNESBORO — A three-day jury trial for a Waynesboro man charged with murder is scheduled to begin Tuesday. Jacob P. Sipe, 24, pleaded not guilty on March 14 during his arraignment to charges of first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, shooting at or into an occupied dwelling, and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Sipe is accused of killing 33-year-old Trevor Hill of Waynesboro on the front porch of his James Avenue home the morning of July 23. Hill's 2-year-old son was in the residence at the time of the killing, resulting in the contributing charge. The two men spent several hours together before the shooting, with Sipe arriving at Hill's home at 1 a.m. Sipe admitted to drinking liquor and using cocaine while at Hill's before falling asleep, according to court documents. He claimed he awoke to Hill screaming at him and said Hill began punching him. "I was fearful," Sipe said in a comment that was picked up by a Waynesboro police officer's body camera. The shooting took place at about 9 a.m. Sipe, who stayed at the scene, told a police officer he thought he "had no choice." When asked how many times he pulled the trigger, he estimated seven times and said Hill fell after the third shot. Hill was shot multiple times with a Beretta APX handgun. Sipe's nose was fractured during the incident. It was also revealed at an October bond hearing that Sipe became a father five days before the killing after his son was born prematurely and had to be hospitalized, his attorney said. More: Middle school football to launch in the fall after Augusta County School Board approves program Augusta County Commonwealth's Attorney Tim Martin is handling the case as a special prosecutor, along with Augusta County Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Alexandra Meador, after Waynesboro Commonwealth's Attorney David Ledbetter and his staff stepped aside in August because of an undisclosed conflict of interest. At the bond hearing, Martin noted multiple shots were fired at Hill, and said most of them came from a distance. The prosecutor said a trail of shell casings led to Hill's body on the porch, with the last shot reportedly coming from relatively close range. "He emptied his gun into his friend while high on cocaine and alcohol," Martin said at the hearing. Denied bond, Sipe remains at Middle River Regional Jail in Verona. The murder trial will be held in Waynesboro Circuit Court with jury selection beginning Tuesday morning. The trial is scheduled to conclude Thursday. More: Nourishing Strides 5K, Project Grows youth program and SAW Housing Lunch & Learn: The Digest Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@ You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter) This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Three-day murder trial set to start Tuesday in Waynesboro
