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Although uncertainty remains when it come to state funding for the coming year, Lexington City Schools’ priorities for the FY24 budget remain the same – recruiting for various qualified positions, increasing employee salaries, and managing an increase in health insurance rates.
The School Board approved the proposed $8.8 million budget last Tuesday, sending it onto Lexington City Council.
The district’s FY24 budget was built off an Average Daily Membership (ADM) of 630. ADM refers to the number of students physically sitting in seats and determines how much state funding the division receives. Using this projected ADM, the LCS business management department established the budget of approximately $8.8 million, which represents an 8 percent decrease from the FY23.
State funding for the coming year is projected to decrease by $953,805, primarily due to exclusion of the onetime school construction allocation in the current year’s budget of $1.15 million. Localities across the state received the one-time major bump for school construction projects from the General Assembly last year.
The local contribution under the proposed budget would rise by $28,124 to $3.5 million.
Like other districts in the area, LCS is prioritizing an increase in employee salaries “in order to compete with other area school divisions and to attract and retain the best possible staff,” LCS business manager Erin Gregg told the Board.
The original draft budget featured a 5.5 percent raise, but after the Board raised concerns about supporting staff amid the economic inflation, Gregg updated the budget to include a 7 percent salary increase.
“[We wanted] to get a little closer to what inflation has been and take a little pressure off of our staff members,” she said. The most recent budgets proposed by the House of Delegates and the Senate also reflect a 7 percent salary increase.
Governor Youngkin’s budget plan also includes a 1 percent retention bonus for school employees who will be returning for the 2023-2024 year. The proposed state contribution towards this bonus is $26,234 with the city of Lexington providing an additional $17,364. Using these funds, the LCS administration is planning to reward each returning employee with a one-time $500 bonus in the fall, LCS Superintendent Rebecca Walters said.
LCS will also be recruiting staff to fill new positions within the district. Among those positions are an additional paraprofessional at Waddell Elementary School, to support specialized student needs; and a full-time office aide, to support secretarial and main office duties. Gregg anticipates that the associated costs to fill these positions are approximately $25,721 each.
Intending to make the paraprofessional role more competitive against other jobs in the area, LCS has also modified its salary scale for paraprofessionals, which accounts for approximately $20,816 of the FY24 budget. In addition, the district increased the starting salary of food service workers to $13.20 an hour, which would amount to 10 percent above minimum wage. To do this will cost the school system an additional $11,526.
The division is also finding itself in need of a part-time instructor for the English Language Learners program (ELL). Since August, the program has grown from 21 students to 33 students, which is “a big jump for our ELL program and it has made it difficult for [Becky Smith, the division’s ELL instructor] to work at both schools,” Walters said. The part-time position would cost the school system approximately $20,400. State funding for ELL services is expected to increase by $4,612.
When it comes to providing health insurance to district employees, the school system is expecting a 10 percent increase in rates. The proposed FY24 budget was constructed to absorb the increased rates as well as provide a secondyear increase to the division’s contribution toward monthly health insurance premiums for employees who have +1 or family coverage, Gregg said. While they are still waiting for the insurance rates, Gregg expects the changes to cost the system an additional $8,478.
The budget also includes several capital improvement projects, scheduled to begin in June.
Across the division, twoway radios will be purchased for faculty.
At Waddell, the school will be transitioning to a one-key security system, the auditorium’s sound system will be replaced to better accommodate music performances, and the interior of the building will be painted.
Improvements at Lylburn Downing Middle School will include replacing a cafeteria milk cooler and replacing the security camera system. In total, these improvements will cost $86,000.
Additionally, the district would like to increase budget lines for instructional materials and supplies, field trips, and professional development. The associated cost to do so is approximately $15,000.
