School Board approves reduced FY23 operating budget ‘to keep the doors open’

While the local school district’s new budget isn’t exactly what the Warren County School Board originally sought, they voted 5-0 on Wednesday, June 29 to approve it so that Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) may continue operating uninterrupted.

During the School Board’s special meeting, School Board Chair Kristen Pence, Vice-Chair Ralph Rinaldi, and members Antoinette Funk, Andrea Lo, and Melanie Salins unanimously adopted the WCPS fiscal year 2022-2023 budget, which totals roughly $69 million and includes approximately $53.2 million for its operations fund, almost $12.4 million for capital improvements, and nearly $3.4 million for the cafeteria fund.

The new operations budget is less than what the school district initially adopted and then sought approval from the Warren County Board of Supervisors (BOS) because the BOS on Tuesday, June 28 unanimously voted to temporarily fund WCPS operations at 75 percent due to fiscal concerns. So, while WCPS had requested almost $71 million for its school operating fund for FY23 — which brought its total FY23 budget request to nearly $92 million — the school division for now, agreed to adopt the total $69,007,344 budget for the upcoming school year.

WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger during School Board’s June 29 special meeting. 

That amount, said WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger, is enough to allow the district to continue operations starting on July 1. “If we did not have a budget of course on Friday we would not be able to open our doors,” he told the School Board. “This at least allows our doors to stay open.”

As part of the FY23 budget, WCPS employees will receive a 5 percent salary increase, inclusive of an experience step, as well as $1,000 bonuses provided by the State of Virginia. WCPS Finance Director Robert Ballentine said employees can expect to receive those bonuses by the end of the year.

The state bonuses will be in addition to the pandemic-related bonuses for WCPS employees. Full-time employees who worked during the 2021-2022 school year — and who are returning for the upcoming school year — will receive a net bonus of $1,500; this includes recent retirees. Part-time WCPS employees during school year 2021-2022 will receive $750, while employees hired after Dec. 31, 2021, are eligible for half of the full-time and part-time bonuses.

After some back and forth during the last month between the boards, the BOS on Tuesday agreed to allow WCPS to transfer $125,000 between School Board budget categories to help cover its one-time employee bonuses, which are expected to total about $1.7 million and are majority funded by leftover funds from the last school year’s vacant positions, mid-year turnover, new employees entering on a lower pay scale, etc.

The approved FY23 WCPS operating fund also covers funding for 15.5 new positions, grounds maintenance, pupil transportation, and technology, among other items, according to the supervisor’s budget document.

The School Board and the BOS plan to continue working together to finalize the FY23 budget for WCPS. Both Pence and Ballenger told the Royal Examiner earlier this week that they remain hopeful for improved communication between their boards.

“I’m glad we now have the opportunity to talk about this budget in more detail and discuss how this will impact the school system so that a sound decision can be made concerning the division’s FY23 budget,” Ballenger wrote in an email.

“I look forward to the conversations that lie ahead between the School Board and Board of Supervisors budget subcommittee,” wrote Pence.

During the School Board’s special meeting on Wednesday, Funk said that the board’s budget committee members are discussing the budget and the options presented during the BOS meeting on Tuesday and hope to meet with BOS budget subcommittee members next week.

Lo said that School Board budget committee members also discussed how to build better communication between them and the BOS budget subcommittee members “to ensure our goals are aligned with the goals of the supervisors so that we’re working together.”

Rinaldi said there should be a timeline developed and adopted to have the FY23 budget settled. “I think that’s important to start our plan for the fall,” he added.

Other action
The School Board unanimously agreed to request that the BOS increase the WCPS technology category in the FY22 budget operating fund by $140,476. WCPS has received a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) grant to install Wi-Fi connectivity on its school buses. To spend the grant money, an additional appropriation must be received by the BOS. Ballenger said the grant money is for a Wi-Fi radio system being installed to allow direct communications between the buses and the schools. “We’re getting close to having [this system] fully implemented for this year,” he added.

In circling back, Pence said, the School Board during a previous meeting had voted to approve the purchase and the use and to date had not made this additional appropriation.

For this type of grant, WCPS Finance Director Ballentine explained that WCPS must spend the money first before getting the federal reimbursement, “which is in the pipeline right now,” he said.

Because of that, the County has already fronted, so to speak, the money to pay for it. So, this request would basically be paying back the County for those local funds that were advanced to pay for the system, and then WCPS will get reimbursed with the federal funds, said Ballentine.

In a proactive step, School Board members asked Ballentine if they should change how they make such requests of the BOS. For instance, when informed of receiving a grant, should the School Board then go to the BOS and explain that the grant is forthcoming, what will be done with the funds, and at that time make a request to increase an appropriation by that specific amount. Then the School Board would be in a position to issue a contract and accept the grant.

“The way that I look at it, that would be, in an ideal world, the best way to handle that,” Ballentine said. “It’s asking for permission rather than forgiveness.”

Following a motion by Rinaldi to request that the BOS increase the School Board’s fiscal year 2021-2022 operating fund budget category 68000 Technology by $140,476, with a second by Funk, the board voted 5-0 to approve.

Additionally, WCPS Director of Personnel Shane Goodwin (above) presented the 2022 Personnel Report to the School Board on Wednesday for approval.

Goodwin also updated the School Board on the number of vacancies facing WCPS for the upcoming school year. As of June 29, WCPS must fill a total of 39 positions: 29 teachers, eight instructional assistants, and two Central Office positions (new director of communications and community engagement and an assistant superintendent for instruction).

“We’ve all been working hard to make sure we find the very best candidates for our students to be in our classrooms and in each one of our facilities,” Goodwin said.

Prior to the vote on the personnel report, School Board member Salins asked if board members could be present during exit interviews for outgoing WCPS staff. Goodwin said he’d like to ask Dr.
Ballenger to work with the group “and we’ll find a way to present that in a format that you’d like.”

Salins again asked: “Is there a way for us to heed the advice the [Warren County] Board of Supervisors gave us [during its June 28 meeting] and actually do physical interviews with staff that is leaving in the hopes that we can stop them from leaving and just settle any issues that they might be having?”

“The practice that is in place now goes back some time,” Goodwin answered. “I’m sure there’s an opportunity for us to adjust that as you may see fit or as needed.

“Of course, I would love the opportunity for us to retain people because we wouldn’t have to recruit,” said Goodwin. “We’d be glad to look into that as long as it fits into our policy that you all have approved. If needed, we could create a new one. We would be happy to do that together.”

Following a motion by Funk with a second by Salins, the School Board voted 5-0 to approve the 2022 Personnel Report, which included four resignations, one retirement, and 12 appointments.

To watch the meeting in its entirety, go to: https://wcps.new.swagit.com/videos/176504