School Board Adopts FY 2025 Budget

Focuses on Sustaining Core Services for Students and Increasing Compensation

The School Board adopted its FY 2025 budget at its June 6 meeting. The budget, totaling $826,324,295, aligns with the School Board’s budget direction, limits new spending, and maintains core services amid significant budget constraints. The FY25 budget requires an on-going County Transfer of $624,792,951, a one-time County Transfer of $13,110,931, a Beginning Balance or Carry Forward of $7,100,000, and funding from Reserves of $20,860,052.

“This budget year was difficult, given the significant budgetary constraints we faced and the needs we could not fund. I appreciate the work of our staff to ensure that we were able to maintain critical services for our students which were put in place during previous budget years,” said Cristina Diaz-Torres, School Board Chair.  “While this budget maintains the status quo, it does not do all that we wanted to provide a larger compensation increase for our staff and advance our goals to support all students. We ask for the community’s ongoing support in advocating for sufficient funding for our public schools.”

The School Board’s adopted FY25 budget includes the Superintendent’s proposed recommendations which are focused on three main priorities: student well-being and academic progress, staff recruitment and retention, and operational efficiency. The School Board also made some additions and updates resulting from the final County and State budgets. Changes in revenue included an overall increase in County revenue based on the final approved tax rate of 2 cents, and a decrease in State revenue based on the General Assembly’s final budget.

The School Board’s adopted budget also increases the proposed cost of living adjustment by 0.25% for a total average compensation increase of 3.55% for staff and reduces Central Office Discretionary Accounts by an additional 3%, for a total of 15% in Central Office budget reductions.

The budget presentation, along with other information, is available on the budget and finance webpage.