Nelson County School Board February
NELSON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SUMMARY as of February 18, 2026
During the February 5, 2026 School Board, a proclamation was presented that recognized School Boards during the month of February. All school board members were present at the meeting except for Ceasar Perkins. Chair Powell thanked Dr. Hester and stated that the recognition should go to school staff.
Superintendent Amanda Hester gave One Nelson Awards to custodians, maintenance workers and transportation staff who worked tirelessly to clear the “snowcrete” from school facilities so they could reopen schools. Present at the meeting were Isaiah Wood, HC Allen, Codie Burnly, Taylor Ashley, and Les Campbell. A proclamation was also read to honor school counselors during National School Counselor Week.
School Board (SB) member Joe Kennedy talked about the state VSBA capital conference he attended to help orient School Board members - he learned of the potential for advocacy but knows that financial resources are limited at Nelson County. He asked if there was a way for Nelson County to allow activity fees for homeschool students to play sports. Joe Richardson and Stacy Rush also learned a lot at the state conference. They thanked everyone for getting the schools opened. Powell thanked the nutrition department for getting meals home to some students during the shutdown.
Upcoming important dates were discussed: on 2/19/26 there is a public hearing (at 6pm) on the recommended 2026-2027 School budget followed by a budget workshop with the School Board approving the recommended budget on 3/12/26. Kindergarten registration is March 6 and the high school musical “Grease” will be performed on March 6 and 7. A VSBA Spring forum is available for school board members on 3/17/2026.
Superintendent Hester discussed the snow storm aftermath during her Pathways to Success presentation. Families received a letter about school closures but leadership decisions are hard to make in a county with 474 square miles and diverse weather zones. Multi-day meals were provided before the storm to the most at-need students with a second on-site distribution on February 2. The division used seven remote learning days to maintain contact with students.
In the previous month, instructional and support staff were busy in assessment (testing) reports and preparation as well as professional training, especially during snow closure days. The division is in full recruitment mode with 12 college students interning in NCPS classrooms. Technology staff have received new computing devices and are preparing them for the 2026-27 school year with rising 5th graders getting new devices which will last through 8th grade. Maintenance planned for Storm Fern a week ahead of time with fuel deliveries, snow removal contractors scheduled and pretreating parking lots and sidewalks.
Taylor Ashley, Supervisor of Transportation, read the Love the Bus Month proclamation to show appreciation for school bus drivers. School buses are the largest public transportation network in the United States.
Members of the Tye River Elementary leadership team presented a school performance plan for TRES. Since most of the students that scored poorly on last year’s SOL tests have graduated to NCMS, the plan is for 70% of current students with disabilities to pass SOL reading and math tests or show growth by May 2029 and to use evidence-based instruction daily. The division will also be seeking funding for additional teacher training and mClass instructional kits for TRES. Similar materials will be given to Rockfish River ES but paid for by the division.
Rachel Reutinger, Director of Special Education & Student Service, presented the Inclusive Schools Action Plan at the direction of the Virginia General Assembly. The plan was developed by eight instructional professionals on the Inclusive Schools Committee with input from the division’s Special Education Advisory Committee over 17 months. She was proud of the vision created by a number of stakeholders: “Our goal is to create a safe, flexible, and welcoming place where all children can learn and grow together. We want every child to reach their full potential and feel supported to do their best. By celebrating what makes each child unique, we will help all children succeed and become their best selves, working with families and our community.” There were a number of goals established but the plan allows for each school to creatively develop their own instructional and social inclusion opportunities. The division is using JMU’s T/TAC services for developing this program. SB member Dr. Rush was very pleased with the professionalism and scope of services that NCPS provides to its students.
Assistant Superintendent Shannon Irvin presented the superintendent’s recommendations for the 2026/2027 operating budget. It is based on Gov. Youngkin’s mid-December budget and the state’s calculated 1361.8 ADM (very close to NCPS numbers) for next year’s student enrollment. This state budget gives NCPS $1.2 million less than the current state budget - due to 55 less students and the fact that economic data shows that the County has a higher ability to pay for their own education (state LCI calculations) as discussed in December. Federal funding is down by $115,000 because the division no longer has carry-over funds to use. This information is shown graphically below:
Two graphs show how the student demographics and staffing support have changed over the last 10 years. Some staff cannot be reduced even with student reductions (for example, a principal and cafeteria manager at every school, school superintendent) but the ratio has remained around 5 to 1, showing that the division has reduced staff where possible.
Unfortunately, the make-up of the current student body shows that the students in NCPS have greater needs than 10 years ago - higher percentage of low-income students, those with English proficiency and those with special education needs.
The core drivers on the expense side of the budget are shown below, besides normal inflationary impacts on instruction, transportation and maintenance supplies:
This state budget gives a 2% salary increase for SOQ staff in 2026-27 which NCPS is trying to match. A step increase would be about ½%. Transportation continues to need four more buses that cost almost $200,000 each which were a late addition to the current year budget. There is a very detailed presentation in the School Board agenda package about these expenses. The actual cost impact of expenses are shown below showing that staff are strategically abandoning some formerly grant funded expenses.
These expense priorities, in addition to the drop in state and federal revenue, means that the Schools could be asking the County for an additional $2,129,215 on top of the $20,518,914 that the County transferred to the Schools for this budget year.
SB member Kennedy asked about Parks & Rec opportunities for sports - is there overlap? (Answer: No softball and volleyball for girls; parents are asking and fundraising for middle school sports programs where facilities and activity buses are available). Athletes do not “pay to play” and the addition of paying homeschool students may be counter to VHSL regulations.
Shannon Irving asked for SB input on the budget presentation. SB Chair Powell reminded members that they have time to think about the budget and bring up questions at the 2/19/26 SB budget workshop. SB member Kennedy asked about the basis of the health increase; Irving stated that she believes most of the increase is based on NCPS experience and she will know more after a meeting with the insurer on 2/18/2026.
The School Board voted to approve two Washington DC trips for high school students and the submittal of the TRES school improvement grant request
–Submitted by Debbie Hughes White, 2/18/2026