No speakers as Charles City superintendent recommends $7.3 million operating budget for FY2024-25

Charles City’s School Board received no public feedback on the proposed FY2024-25 budget at Monday night’s public hearing.

Charles City Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy presented a budget of $7,347,808 for operations in FY2024-25. That amount is $845,323, or 21 percent, more than the current year’s budget of $6,502,486.

Joppy emphasized that the budget is one of need, but also spoke about positions that needed to be sustained. With ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds expiring in September of this year, the superintendent commented how those funds have been utilized to assist with learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. ESSER funds have been used to hire tutors, reading specialists, and also pay for a portion of a school psychologist to assist with the transition of students back to an everyday routine within the building.

Among other adjustments in the proposed budget is the inclusion of covering costs of rising medical care, accounting for the composite index rate of the county increasing and providing teachers a five-percent raise.

The school’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) comes in at $1,123,284. The big ticket item on the list is the replacement of the wastewater treatment plant at $974,235. Those funds are expected to be covered by a construction grant. Other items include $270,393 for technology upgrades, $203,000 to purchase a bus and a seven-passenger van, $60,000 for football equipment, and $43,920 to for updates to phone lines. The school expects $102,000 from the state to assist with their CIP and plan to request $520,352 from the county for the projects.

With no speakers at the public hearing, school board members must wait approximately seven days before approving the proposed budget. If approved, the budget will be presented to county leaders before they receive a recommendation on the county’s budget.