School Board Approves Career Funding Plan, Scholarship Donations, and Policy Updates at April 23 Meeting

The Warren County School Board tackled a full agenda during its April 23 meeting, taking important actions to support career education, employee policies, and student opportunities.

Approval of Local Plan for Career & Technical Education (CTE) Funding
Vince Gregg presented the 2025–2026 Local Plan for Career and Technical Education, which was unanimously approved. The plan outlines how federal Perkins funding will be used to purchase equipment, provide professional development, and support special populations involved in CTE programs across the county’s schools.

Although final numbers from the Virginia Department of Education are pending, Gregg explained that the plan is based on this year’s funding levels, which totaled around $99,000. He noted that funding has trended downward in recent years due to changing local poverty rates but emphasized that Perkins funds remain critical for maintaining CTE programs without burdening local taxpayers.

CTE Advisory Committee Update
Gregg also updated the Board on the WCPS CTE Advisory Committee, a requirement for receiving Perkins funding. The committee includes representatives from local businesses, Laurel Ridge Community College, labor organizations, and community members, as well as parents, students, and CTE teachers. Gregg encouraged additional business leaders to join the advisory group, especially from fields like culinary arts, HVAC, automotive, and construction, to help shape future programs and ensure students are job-ready.

First Readings of Employee Policy Updates
Rachel Drake, Director of Human Resources, introduced proposed updates to the policy on support staff leave (GDBD and GDBD-E3). The revisions would expand access to unpaid leave for support staff not eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protections, removing the current requirement that a physician approve all unpaid leave requests.

Instead, leave requests would now be processed through a review by the employee’s supervisor and Human Resources, with clear guidelines on benefits and job protections. Board members offered positive feedback and asked for further clarification on protecting the intent of the leave policy before final approval.

Dr. Charles Costner, Assistant Superintendent of Administration, presented additional first readings of policies including:

• GCCB – Employment of Family Members

• GCBEA – Leave Without Pay

• GCBI – Civic Duties

The only significant change was to the Civic Duties policy, adding language to ensure employees will not be required to use their sick or vacation leave when fulfilling jury duty or responding to subpoenas related to their jobs.

Donation from Martin’s
Dr. Costner also presented the acceptance of a generous $9,927.38 donation from Martin’s, benefiting the WCPS Food Service Department. The funds will help sustain the school nutrition program and continue providing meals to students across the county.

Acceptance of New Scholarships
The Board voted to accept two new scholarship opportunities for the Class of 2025:

• The Festival of Leaves Community Involvement Award, sponsored by the Front Royal Independent Business Alliance (FRIBA), will award two $500 scholarships to Warren County High School students who volunteered for community events.

• The David Strickler Scholarship, honoring a longtime WCPS maintenance department employee, will award $500 or more to a Blue Ridge Technical Center student pursuing further education in the trades.

Board members expressed their gratitude to the benefactors for supporting Warren County’s students.

Next Steps
Several policy revisions are slated for final approval at upcoming meetings after further review.