Public hearing on Mathews 2025-2026 budget to be held Jan. 28

The Mathews County School Board kicked off its 2025-2026 budget process with a special work session and the receiving of public/employee requests prior to the start of its Dec. 17 meeting.

At that work session, superintendent of schools Dr. David S. Daniel reviewed some of the challenges facing the division in developing next year’s budget, including a change to the state’s Local Composite Index funding formula that places a heavier burden on Mathews taxpayers and the ongoing decline in enrollment.

Mathews has reduced its full- and part-time staff from 224 in 2023-2024 to 202 in the current academic year.

A joint budget work session/review of the first draft of the 2025-2026 budget (with county supervisors) will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the J. Murray Brooks Auditorium at Thomas Hunter Middle School (before the school board’s normal monthly meeting at 6 p.m.).

At 5 p.m. on the following Tuesday, Jan. 28, in the same location, the school board will hold a public hearing on the budget, followed a t 6 with another budget work session.

The school board is expected to adopt its budget at its Feb. 18 meeting, at which point the request will be turned over to county supervisors for their consideration.