January 21, 2026

Dear Charles City County Community,

On January 20, 2026, I had the honor of presenting the FY27 Proposed Budget to the School Board. This budget reflects our continued commitment to investing in our students, our staff, and our facilities while staying aligned with our Strategic Plan priorities of academic excellence, safety and wellness, the recruitment and retention of high-quality staff, and strengthening family and community engagement.

At the heart of this budget is our focus on supporting student achievement. We are proposing additional instructional supports that strengthen Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 instruction, including curriculum stipends, instructional coaches at each school, an additional math specialist, and both math and reading interventionists, totaling $429,594. These positions will provide targeted support for students and professional learning for teachers, helping to ensure every child has access to high-quality instruction.

Equally important is our investment in our staff. We are requesting a 10% salary increase for all Charles City County Public Schools employees. This increase would raise our starting teacher salary to approximately $52,000 from $$48,190, helping us remain competitive with surrounding divisions. Investing in our employees is essential to recruiting and retaining the talented professionals who make a difference in our classrooms every day. The total investment in salary actions is $840,833.

The budget also includes important updates to classroom resources and technology. We are proposing:

• 200 new iPads for our Pre-K through second grade students, replacing devices that are nearing the end of their usable life.  $69,800
• New social studies textbooks aligned with updated state standards. $80,000
• Interactive boards, document cameras, charging carts, and other technology tools to enhance teaching and learning. $34,320

To support safety and daily operations, we are requesting funding for:

• A new school bus, a seven-passenger minivan, and a school vehicle. $230,000
• Carpet replacement at the elementary school. $63,173

We will continue with planning through our Capital Improvement Plan for long-term facility and infrastructure needs.

In total, the new budget requests equal approximately $1.75 million. The full county appropriation request for FY27 is $8,923,281, which is an increase of $1,425,251 over last year. This increase is largely driven by the proposed staff salary increase and the additional instructional supports for students.

One challenge we continue to face is the impact of the Local Composite Index (LCI), which determines how much funding our county must provide versus how much support we receive from the state. As our LCI has increased, the state’s share of our funding has decreased from 34% to 29%, and the county’s share has increased from 54% to 59%. This shift places greater responsibility on our local community to support our schools, even as we serve a student population where nearly 65% are economically disadvantaged.

Despite these challenges, this budget is designed to be forward-thinking and student-centered. It prioritizes people, strengthens instruction, improves safety, and ensures our schools have the resources necessary to prepare students for success.

There are several opportunities for community engagement in the coming weeks:

• Joint School Board and Board of Supervisors Work Session: February 5 at 6:00 PM at the Auditorium of the Government Administrative Building
• Public Hearing and Work Session: February 10 at 6:30 PM at the Charles City High
• School Auditorium
• School Board Adoption of the FY27 Budget: February 17 at 6:30 PM at the Charles
• City High School Auditorium
• Presentation to the Board of Supervisors: March 24 at 6:00 PM at the Auditorium of the Government Administrative Building

We welcome your continued support and participation in this important process. Together, we can ensure that Charles City County Public Schools remains a place where students thrive, educators feel valued, and our community is proud of the schools we provide for our children.

 

Dr. Katina Otey
Superintendent
Charles City County Public Schools