Waynesboro Schools reports 2,864 students enrolled for the 2023-2024 school year.
Public schools in Virginia are funded according to average daily membership (ADM).
With growth in the city of Waynesboro, the school system is seeing growth, but not rapid growth.
“Enrollment is increasing,” Waynesboro Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Cassell said.
If the school system’s enrollment holds, Waynesboro Schools will receive additional funding in spring 2024. Cassell added that a new addition planned for Waynesboro High School will allow the school system to increase capacity by 150 students.
In a budget update since the Commonwealth approved a 2024 budget, Cassell said that federal COVID-19 pandemic funds are running out.
“It seems very unusual to be giving a budge update in November,” Cassell said.
The school system’s funds in 2021 and 2022 “were inflated by the infusion of federal dollars.”
Cassell recommended the school board add appropriations to the 2024 budget adopted in March 2023, which was based on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed budget. The governor later signed the “skinny” budget.
The state budget includes a net increase of $1,252,000 for Waynesboro Schools.
“Some of that money was moved around in the budget,” Cassell said. Much of the budget includes funding for the new ALL In VA, which is for tutoring needs in Virginia’s public schools.
The state added $1.3 million to be spent in 2023, 2025 and 2026.
“It’s very unusual to have funding for instructional programs for operations that cross fiscal years, especially across three fiscal years.”
If not for the ALL In VA funds, the school system would receive $150,000 less in state funding for 2023-2024.
“We are back to generally the Governor’s budget that you had adopted,” Cassell said.
Cassell said the school system will also ask the city for an additional $495,000.
“Good news is we’re back to the budget we adopted,” Cassell said.
At the end of Tuesday night’s meeting, the school board approved the budget’s appropriation.
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Rebecca Barnabi
