Appeals to include money for a school resource officer at the private Carlisle School and full funding for Henry County Public Schools were heard by the board of supervisors at public hearings on Monday.
Earlier this month, Henry County Administrator Dale Wagoner presented a $208 million budget for the new fiscal year with more than half of the total ($107 million) going to the school division. The amount proposed by Wagoner is an increase of 4.2% to the schools and includes $21.6 million in local funding, nearly $2.3 million more than last year.
The proposed funding still fell short of the request by the Henry County School Board.
“Teacher salaries put us in the best position to get the best quality teachers,” said Magna Vista High School Principal Duane Whitaker. “I ask that you fully fund the proposed school budget. It allows us to stay relevant.”
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“I’m here to ask you to support the school budget. We lose teachers everyday that retire here and go down to North Carolina to teach,” said former school board member Mary Martin. “The difference in what you want to give and what they ask for is miniscule, so step up to the plate this year and do what you can for the Henry County schools.”
“I don’t see anything on here that is a ‘want,’ said Laurel Park Middle School Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) President Jennifer Powell. “I’m just here to ask you to please give us our full support.”
Said Rich Acres Elementary School PTO President Michael Palmer: “I’m in support of you fully funding the proposed budget. This is one of the best school systems in the state of Virginia. These are needs, not wants.”
Among approximately 50 people in attendance at two public hearings in the Summerlin Room of the Henry County Administration Building on Monday were school board members, educators, and supporters of Carlisle School, a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Axton.
The school, in the eastern end of Henry County, has been paying the Henry County Sheriff’s Office for the cost of a school resource officer at $35 an hour. Speakers at the public hearing attempted to convince the board of supervisors to have taxpayers pick up the private school’s tab in the next budget year.
“Safety is a top priority at Carlisle and statistics show a [police] car and an SRO present, significantly deters incidents,” said Carlisle Board Member Matthew McKinney. “We covered the cost of an SRO at the cost of education. We felt like we didn’t have a choice. Public funds should not provide the cost of private education and we’re not asking for that. We’re asking you to provide for our safety, and that’s a core requirement.”
“We have seen a rise in school shootings. This is a widespread problem for all of us,” said Assistant Head of School Beth Gammons. “This is about Henry County children; this is about keeping our children safe; it is not about ‘us vs. them.’ I ask that you amend the proposed budget to include an SRO.”
Horsepasture District Supervisor Debra Buchanan asked Gammons how many students attended Carlisle School and how many of them were residents of Henry County.
Gammons said about 130 out approximately 320 enrolled students at Carlisle were Henry County residents.
“You are also a nonprofit, right?” asked Buchanan. “You do not pay taxes on real estate in Henry County?”
Collinsville District Supervisors Joe Bryant asked if the city of Martinsville and neighboring Pittsylvania County had been approached to share in the cost of an SRO.
“The school is in Henry County,” someone said from the audience.
Wagoner said in his budget presentation earlier in the month that more than $12 million in requests were not recommended for funding because the cost exceeded the available funds, or the inclusion would have necessitated dramatic cuts in other areas.
Included in the list of items that was not funded in the new budget were $123,438 for two additional deputies, and more the $2.3 million for additional discretionary funding for the school system.
While reserve fund minimums are met in the new budget, Wagner pointed out that the amount of discretionary funds in excess of the policy target is projected to decrease 20% from $14 million to $11.2 million in FY2025.
Finalization of the state budget will also impact the final numbers of the budget for Henry County. Wagner told the supervisors the figures could require adjustments through June.
The new budget is set to go into effect on July 1.