Spotsylvania County Public Schools Superintendent Clint Mitchell presented a budget to the school board on Tuesday that he said will “educate the whole child.”
The $547.3 million fiscal year 2027 budget represents an increase of $55.4 million from 2026. More than half of the increase is from the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and debt service.
The board is scheduled to hold a public hearing and work session on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to consider the budget proposal from Mitchell and his staff.
“We typically spend a lot of our time focused on what we call teaching and learning as well as assessment and results, but to educate the whole child is not just about academics,” Mitchell said. “It’s about some of the other things, what I call the intangibles that we do in our school district … We engage in a lot of community activities.”
Mitchell highlighted some of those “intangibles,” including the 4E Expo, which focuses on college enrollment, future employment, enlistment and community engagement. He also mentioned homelessness and wellness initiatives, among other pursuits.
“This is one of the most important aspects of not just my work as superintendent, but also the work of the board,” Mitchell said of developing a budget.
The FY27 proposal includes $425.6 million for the general fund. The division is expecting a $12 million increase in state funding to help cover a gap that started at $46.8 million two years ago. The county board of supervisors provided an additional $11.7 million in 2026 plus $3.6 million in debt service.
Mitchell said the schools shouldn’t expect that sort of contribution this year but added that state funding should help close the gap. Chief Financial Officer Phillip Trayer said the local funding shortfall is expected to be $12.2 million, including 87 full-time positions.
Mitchell said most of the local funding will go toward cost-of-living, step and merit pay increases for division staff.
“That is something that we have to be very thankful for as a board that the board of supervisors continuously has funded since I arrived,” Mitchell said.
The $491.9 million FY26 budget does not include $21.4 million in operational, compliance and benefits adjustments that were removed from the final budget last year. The FY27 budget will include those items.
“These needs will continue to flow from one fiscal year to another until the demand is removed, or the funding is secured to address the issues that are identified,” Trayer said.
The SCPS budget continues to be based on a 2024 survey. That survey, conducted when Mitchell first arrived, concluded that hiring high-quality teachers and support personnel was the community’s No. 1 priority, followed by maintaining safe and modern school facilities.
If approved in its proposed form, the budget will provide a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment as well as an additional 0.5% that was deferred from FY26. The division would also provide raises for bus aides, recruiting support, special education positions, and additional support for at-risk students.
Trayer noted that the student population of 23,718 decreased by 13 students from 10 years ago, but a significant demographic shift requires more resources. There are 2,539 more English Language Learners than a decade ago, 2,837 more economically disadvantaged students, 1,281 more students with disabilities, and 225 fewer academically gifted students.
Trayer said those statistics answer a common question from county residents regarding the need for extra funding despite similar enrollment.
Trayer added that increasing healthcare costs are the budget’s “silent killer,” stating that between 2023-26, budgeted employee and health insurance costs grew by more than $7 million or 20%.
“School systems across the state are reeling from health insurance costs as is our local government,” Trayer said.
Larry DiBella, the newly elected school board representative for the Berkeley District, said he’s concerned about the teacher-to-student ratio in Spotsylvania, which ranks 123rd out of 131 divisions in the state. DiBella requested that the division address that concern by investing in teachers.
“This is something that is very important,” he said. “I don’t think any of us want to be eighth from the bottom.”
According to data provided by the division, Fredericksburg ranks No. 74; Stafford ranks No. 124; and Caroline ranks No. 125 in teacher-to-student ratios. Spotsylvania also ranks 127th in both principals and assistant principals per 1,000 students and central office staff to students.
Following Monday’s public hearing, the next step in the budget process is another school board budget work session on Feb. 9, followed by a board of supervisors’ budget work session on Feb. 10.
On Feb. 17, the school board will approve a budget and CIP if needed and then present that budget to the supervisors on Feb. 19. The supervisors will decide on the amount of the advertised tax rate following a budget work session on Feb. 24. That decision will help determine how much local funding the county will provide for the schools.
