- FY 2016 Joint Budget Work Session
- Dr. Brannon stated that the top priority for the School Board is what's best for the students of Wythe County. In order to provide the best for our students, additional revenue is needed. As the state will not be providing any additional money in the upcoming year, all additional funding must come from within the county.
- Out of 134 school divisions in VA, 77 have raised taxes in the last 5 years. Mr. Dalton, of the B.O.S., noted that the local governments may not introduce new taxes at this time, but may only raise current taxes.
- Further discussion led to the unlikely possibility of participating in the state health insurance plan, as it probably wouldn't provide savings for WCPS.
- Student enrollment is the main factor in determining the budget. Declining enrollment has led to a decline in state funding over the past 5 years.
- Dr. Brannon wants the "best and brightest" teaching Wythe County students. This requires more funding for teacher salaries in order to be competitive with surrounding divisions.
- Dr. Brannon informed the B.O.S. that grants have been applied for, and received, to help provide all FCHS 9th & 10th graders with a laptop/tablet through the One-on-One Tech Initiative.
- A total of $14, 830, 000. would be requested to fund the next phase of construction.
- Spiller and Scott are determined as having the greatest need of renovations. A couple possibilities to save money in the long run were discussed, including building a new elementary school to accommodate the needs of Spiller, as well as closing Speedwell Elem.
- It was noted that closing a school would lead to other expenditures including renovations to other buikdings to house additional students.
- Waiting on construction would raise the project cost by 2-3% each year, due to rising costs for materials, labor, etc...
- Mr. Dalton mentioned that it's a good time to borrow money for construction projects right now, as interest rates are lower.
- Mr. Dalton thanked SB members for the opportunity to work together to continue improving WCPS.
- Phase II specifics will not be decided for certain until the exact funding amount is known.
3. Public Comment
- Several community members attended and spoke in favor of keeping Speedwell Elementary open. There was a recurring theme of support for their school, the teachers there, and the positive atmosphere they feel is present at Speedwell. Statistics were shared to reinforce the importance of small class sizes and small schools' roles in communities.
- A few parents proclaimed that if the school were to close, the county would receive even less state funding because they would home school their children before sending them to another school.
- It was noted that several more parents wanted to attend the meeting. Unfortunately, due to it being held at 1:30, many could not attend.
- A bus driver of Speedwell and Rural Retreat students asked the board to consider how long the children would be on the bus each day. He said that a child living 1.4 miles from Speedwell would be on the bus for 48 miles each day, if traveling to Rural Retreat. Some parents also mentioned the increase in bus time.
- Community members developed a facebook page in support of Speedwell. You can find it by searching, "Save Speedwell."
- 4. Superintendent Search
- About 275 surveys were completed and submitted as part of the public input portion of the search for a new superintendent. Not all board members had received survey results prior to today's meeting.
- Mr. Frye and Mr. Sage both reinforced the public opinion that a new superintendent should reside in the county.
- Other requirements were agreed upon, including teaching experience.
- Preferences include a doctorate, experience as a principal and central office administrator, as well as work experience in VA.
- After much discussion and working on their own surveys, SB members decided to continue the discussion in closed session.
- The meeting was adjourned.
