Superintendent seeking $7.7M more from Chesterfield

The new Chesterfield school superintendent is asking for a 3-percent raise for teachers and staff and an additional $7.7 million from the county to help fund a proposed $17.5 million budget increase for Fiscal Year 2020.

The salary increases alone would cost $12.9 million in the $672.2 million budget. Staff received increases of 2, 3, 2 and 2 percent in each of the past four years.

Mervyn Daugherty made the proposal during the school board’s budget work session Jan. 22.

The increase would support an additional 54 staff members because of an estimated increase of 520 students. This includes an increase in special education and ESL teachers and 10.8 additional school counselors. Those staffing positions would cost $3.3 million.

An 8-percent increase in health care costs would result in an extra $4 million. Participation in the Virginia Preschool Initiative would cost $1.9 million.

The school district is anticipating an additional $20 million from the state, a 7.3-percent increase, and $2.1 million more from sales tax revenue, a 3.3-percent increase. The district also projects a savings of $11.6 million in its capital improvement plan.

Needs that would not be funded by the budget proposal include: $57.3 million in maintenance identified in a Facility Condition Assessment, 15 additional nurses which would put a nurse in every school, and seven more School Resource Officers that would be dispersed across elementary schools in the five districts.

“Town hall” hearings on the proposed budget will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31 at Thomas Dale and Meadowbrook high schools.

The school board will have a public hearing on the proposed budget and capital improvement plan at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12. A special meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, to adopt the budget.

Any budget approval will still be subject to funding approved during the current state legislative session.