By Rebecca J. Barnabi
For Augusta Free Press
WAYNESBORO — Waynesboro Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Cassell proposed a balanced fiscal year 2022-2023 budget of $54,141,012 to the city’s school board Tuesday night at its regular meeting.
“You have rarely seen that in the nine years that I have [been here],” Cassell said. “In fact, you’ve never seen that in the nine years I’ve been here.”
However, he added that the current proposed budget “is contingent on state funding,” which has not yet been approved in Richmond. “It’s eerily quiet out of Richmond right now about the budget,” Cassell said. He is unsure whether to interpret that is good or bad news for the coming months.
For now, Waynesboro School Board’s priorities for fiscal year 2023, as they have been for a few years, are employee compensation and benefits, including pay increases for current staff and retaining staff, and using pandemic funds “efficiently and effectively,” Cassell said.
“We made some progress on both of those, more progress on benefits,” he said of the school board’s 6.5 percent raise for teachers amidst an ongoing local, state and national teacher shortage.
Cassell said that the pandemic funds will continue to improve student outcomes and address Waynesboro student needs.
“We do find that our students have significant, significant emotional and social needs,” Cassell said as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part of the CARES Act funding will allow the school system to focus on replacing HVAC systems, doors and windows in Wayne Hills Center, and Berkeley Glenn and Wenonah elementary schools.
“To date, it appears that Gov. Youngkin is maintaining many, if not all, of Gov. Northam’s initiatives in the [state] budget,” Cassell said. Northam’s initiatives included supporting at-risk students, improving teacher compensation and programs to help retain teachers.
“There are no decreases in state funding this year,” Cassell said.
In fact, Virginia is adding a 5 percent raise for Standards of Quality support staff, which consists of 43 percent of Waynesboro Schools staff. The city will pay 1/3 of raises along with the state’s 2/3 contribution, or 43 percent of the cost of raises. “For which we are appreciative,” Cassell added.
In an historic budget move, Cassell said the state is providing funding for school renovations and construction. Waynesboro Schools will receive $1.9 million. He said that the state has not funded any school renovations or construction in at least 15 years. “So that’s much needed and much appreciated as well.”
As of Jan. 31, 2022, 3,016 students are enrolled in Waynesboro Schools.
“Our enrollment is increasing. It’s increased throughout the year, and that’s good news. It’s good news in terms of funding,” Cassell said. Public schools in Virginia are funded by the state according to enrollment.
For 2022-2023, Cassell said Waynesboro Schools expects a revenue increase of $3.1 million from the state.
“That’s an historic amount of increased state revenue and it’s actually not all of it yet,” he said.
Federal funding is expected to increase by nearly $729,838 and funding from the city by more than $772,000.
“That funding has basically remained level,” Cassell said of the federal funding, a significant amount of which comes from the CARES Act.
Waynesboro Schools expenses for 2022-2023 are expected to include $3,378,31 for salary increases. The school system would like to provide teachers with a 6.5 percent raise.
“We really think that’s going to make us competitive with other surrounding school divisions,” Cassell said. The city will be able to recruit and retain teachers with a starting salary of $46,367 for candidates with a bachelor’s degree, and $49,347 for teachers with a master’s degree.
The proposed budget adds 15 positions, many funded by the CARES Act, to support students with emotional, social and behavioral challenges as the school system hopes to begin to emerge from a global pandemic. Cassell added that in 2025, when the CARES funding will end, the school system will have to eliminate the positions, but hopefully that can be done through attrition.
Waynesboro High School Principal Bryan Stamm presented the school board with a scheduling change for the high school’s 2022 graduation. At the end of Tuesday’s meeting, the school board approved moving this year’s graduation from May 21 to outside on Friday, May 20 at 7 p.m.
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Rebecca Barnabi
