NELSON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD JULY UPDATE
NELSON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AND BUDGET SUMMARY
as of July 16, 2025
On June 25, 2025, the Board of Supervisors meeting had their fourth continuing (and non-televised) meeting to discuss the School Board budget after the May 13, 2025 public hearing. The Supervisors were satisfied with all parts of the school’s budget except some were not satisfied with the way School leadership used a 3% overall salary increase amount to make a few improvements in the teachers’ salary scale that would give some employees more than 3% while giving administrative staff only 2.61%. School leadership was doing this as part of a multi-year effort to have “all teacher’s salaries fall within the top 25 of the state.” In a thorough letter of explanation from the School Board to the Board of Supervisors, Dr. Hester stated that 51 teachers received more than 3% while 99 teachers received 3% (or slightly less). The Supervisors voted to reduce the FY 2026 School’s “county transfer” budget by $85,221. This number was apparently based on adding all the wages and related benefits for the cost to pay any employee contract over 3%, costs that were outlined in the letter from the School Board. (The Supervisors only asked for the expenses related to giving employees over a 3% salary increase, not the savings related to giving some employees less than 3%). This new budget amount did not give the schools sufficient funds to give all their staff 3% salary increases, if the intention of the Board of Supervisors was to encourage the schools to do that. [In related action, in the FY 2026 County budget, the Board of Supervisors gave all County staff a 3% salary increase with one small group receiving 6% salary increases.]
The School Board scheduled an emergency June 27, 2025, School Board meeting to approve the School’s FY 2026 budget revised to reflect the $85,221 loss in revenue. Superintendent Amanda Hester gave a budget update where she showed that the $85,221 reduced expenses would come out of the Classroom Instruction budget. Because teacher and other staff contracts for SY 2025-26 have already been released and signed by returning staff, School leadership indicated that they would not give substitute teachers and other hourly-paid, part-time staff a 3% raise as they had previously planned as well as hold a few positions open a little longer than planned. The School’s FY 2026 budget was approved at $33,794,259.
Nelson County Public Schools are impacted by the recent withholding of federal funds for the FY 2025-26 school year even though those funds have already been appropriated by Congress as part of the Federal FY 2025 budget. According to an NPR email on July 13, 2025, the withholding of these funds is unprecedented but not unexpected. House and Senate Democrats have sent letters to the Education Secretary demanding that the funds be released. Nelson County School leadership told both the School Board and Board of Supervisors this spring that $132,000 of federal funding was in jeopardy (Title II, III, and IV) and this is what is being withheld now. However, School leadership say they are still being reimbursed for all federal funds allocated for FY 2024-25 and USDA funding for the school breakfast and lunch programs for FY 2025-26 do not seem to be reduced.
The School Board did not meet in July but will have their regularly scheduled meeting on August 14, 2025. School starts August 12, 2025.