“We want every single child in GCPS to maximize their potential.”
The Gloucester County School Board met Tuesday evening in the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium to hear preliminary budget considerations for fiscal year 2026 and to receive public input on the budget. However, no one from the public provided input, in-person or otherwise, for this meeting.
Presentation
Dr. Anthony Vladu, superintendent of schools, provided a preliminary budget presentation to the board.
The division is forecast to have an Average Daily Membership of 4,749 students for FY26, which is a slight decrease compared to FY25.
In addition to state funding, the ADM also impacts staffing. In FY26, the division is only planning to cut 1.5 positions when enrollment is warranting losing 18 positions. A loss of 20 students typically equates to losing one full-time teaching position.
The division is also looking to recapture homeschool students for both budgetary and educational purposes. In FY25, a total of 634 homeschool students were reported and in FY19, there were only 394 homeschool students reported. According to Vladu’s presentation, the division has lost approximately $2.2 million in state funding from FY19 to FY25 due to the increase in homeschooling.
“The goal is not to go back to zero,” said Vladu. “We recognize homeschooling has a place, but the goal would be to go back to pre-pandemic levels.”
Another challenge the division is going to face this budget season is the increase in Virginia’s Local Composite Index, the measure the state uses to allocate funding to localities. Since the local composite index has increased for FY25 and 26, the division will not receive as much state funding as in previous years. The index determines a division’s ability to pay education costs and is calculated by the locality’s true value of real property, adjusted gross income, and taxable retail sales.
The biggest budget consideration is maintaining competitive compensation for division staff.
“Competitive compensation is at the top of the list and keeping our best teachers and staff,” said Vladu.
Staffing is the most expensive part of operating a school district, totaling approximately 86 percent of the budget.
Other major budget challenges for FY26 include needing standards of quality support from the state, rising health insurance costs and declining transportation and maintenance budgets.
Important upcoming dates related to the budget include Vladu’s presentation of his proposed budget on Feb. 20, the end of the Virginia General Assembly regular session on Feb. 22 and the school board budget work session on March 13.
“We would like our community to be engaged in this process,” he said.
Looking toward the near future, Vladu briefly discussed the state budget surplus and unappropriated balance.
“At this rate, the General Assembly has $3 billion that has not been allotted anywhere,” said Vladu. “And just a quick calculation, if the General Assembly were to decide to give public schools just one third of that, that would be equal to $4.2 million for GCPS, approximately.”
The school board will meet next on Feb. 11 in the TCWEC at 6 p.m. for its regular monthly meeting.