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The Henrico School Board will hold a meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday for members of the public to share their input on Henrico Schools’ budget for Fiscal Year 2025.
The new budget will go into effect July 1, 2024 and apply through June 30, 2025. HCPS leaders have not yet presented a budget proposal, but are scheduled to present a recommended budget to the school board on Jan. 25.
Last year, the school board approved a $817.8 million budget for FY 2024, a 7.2% increase from the FY 2023 budget. The FY 2024 budget provided an 8.2% pay raise for HCPS employees – the largest increase in more than three decades.
Last year’s budget also increased the division’s general fund (which is used to operate day-to-day needs) by 7.9%, increased the school nutrition fund by 9.3%, increased the state and federal grants fund by 6.2%, and decreased the debt service fund by 1%.
The school board will vote on a final version of the FY 2025 budget in April of 2024.
Prior to the public input session, the school board will hold a 2:30 p.m. work session on Thursday for a third review of the 2024-2025 Capital Improvement Plan, which will designate funds to rebuild and renovate certain school buildings, and vote on the plan later that day at the 6:30 monthly meeting. Board members will also vote on a proposal for playground equipment replacements totaling $900,000 for three schools: Fair Oaks Elementary, Arthur Ashe Elementary, and Longdale Elementary.
The board will also review and vote on policy revisions that would give more flexibility to students struggling to reach the 140-hour standard credit requirement and add more required protocols for school visitors to follow.
HCPS staff will also present an update on the Language Instruction Education Program to the board. Henrico Schools has 5,178 students who are English language learners, a population that has grown by 1,866 students in the past five years. HCPS students speak 138 different languages, and about 20% of the student body speaks a language other than English.
Thursday will be the last meeting of outgoing school board members Roscoe Cooper (Fairfield District), who will serve as the Fairfield District supervisor on the county’s board of supervisors starting in January, and Micky Ogburn (Three Chopt District), who opted not to seek re-election. Ogburn has served on the board since Nov. 2014 and Cooper has served since Jan. 2016.
With the board’s approval, Ogburn will be appointed to the Henrico Education Foundation’s Board of Directors on Thursday along with Jimmy Comer, co-owner of RBI Services; Ebony Wyatt, senior manager of Altria; and John Dantzler, owner of Teaching Young Hearts Child Development Center and CEO of Skyy Realty Group.
Members of the public also can address the board at the monthly meeting’s public forum.
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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.
