Stafford schools Superintendent Daniel Smith on Monday night presented to the county School Board a $529.3 million proposed education budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, an 8.4% increase over the current spending plan.
The budget includes an increase of $18.6 million in proposed local funding:
- $10.6 million for new school operating costs, driven by the opening of three new schools, which represents nearly a 10% increase in the division’s total number of schools. These costs include staffing, utilities, custodial services, instructional support and basic infrastructure required to operate the buildings, the school division said in an announcement of the budget Tuesday.
- $8 million for employee compensation, supporting an average 3.75 percent increase for all employees and an increase in the starting teacher salary to $52,900 (a $2,300 hike).
“More than 70 percent of our employees live and work here,” Smith told school board members during a virtual meeting Monday. “Supporting them directly supports our community.”
The budget will now move to the school board for approval, and then the Stafford Board of Supervisors has the final say on how much local money is devoted to education.
The fiscal 2027 budget emphasizes a focused, disciplined approach that limits the local funding ask to two critical areas, maximizes state at-risk funding and strategically leverages prior-year savings while demonstrating commitment to efficiency, intentionality and transparency, the schools’ budget announcement said.
“This is a targeted request,” Smith said in the announcement. “We are asking the county to support two essential needs, new school operations and employee compensation. We are using every available tool, including state at-risk funding and carryover savings, to reduce the impact on local taxpayers.”
The budget reflects a $41.1 million increase in revenue, and 26% of that will go to operating costs for the new schools, Hartwood High School and Falls Run and Crow’s Nest elementaries.
Smith’s budget uses $4.5 million in state at-risk funding, paired with a $2 million local match, to support roles that directly improve student outcomes and school operations, the announcement said. These investments include elementary interventionists, middle school security officers and school deans of students, and recruitment and retention efforts.
Those positions have demonstrated measurable returns at other grade levels by increasing instructional time, improving attendance and behavior supports, and accelerating academic growth, particularly in reading and mathematics, while reducing long-term costs through early intervention, the announcement said.
Specifically, the new state funding will allow Stafford to have school security officers at each middle school, Smith said.
Smith’s spending proposal also uses $2.5 million from a previous budget surplus to address one-time and cyclical needs, including school bus replacement, technology refreshes and security-infrastructure improvements, the announcement said.
According to the announcement, the fiscal 2027 funding request was crafted through zero-based budgeting, requiring each budget line to be built and justified annually rather than carried forward automatically. Operational efficiencies and staffing-standard adjustments were proposed in a budget-neutral manner to ensure resources are aligned with student needs.
“Our focus is on sustainability,” Smith said in the announcement. “By limiting the local ask, maximizing state resources, and using savings responsibly, we are protecting both educational quality and fiscal stability.”
