The Rockbridge County School Board approved its fiscal year 2026 budget on May 13, finalizing a $39.1 million operating plan that reflects modest gains in state funding but stops short of the district’s original salary goals.
Superintendent Dr. Phillip Thompson said the district had hoped to offer a 5% raise to employees this year but lacked sufficient funding to do so. Instead, the final budget includes a 3% salary increase.
The raise aligns with a compensation supplement proposed by the state, but Thompson clarified that the funding covers only Standards of Quality (SOQ) positions — and even then, only partially.
“In reality, the funding from the state allocated for a compensation supplement is around one-third to one-half of what we would need to fully fund the 3% raise,” he explained. “We’re nearly always dependent on the Board of Supervisors to make up that difference so that all employees, not just SOQ staff, receive the increase.” Ultimately, the county was able to cover the 3% raise for all employees, but not the 5% originally envisioned.
Instruction remains the largest portion of the budget, accounting for about 72% of expenditures. Other categories include roughly $2.8 million for administration and health services, $2.86 million for transportation, $3.67 million for operations and maintenance, $1.52 million for technology, and $20,000 for facilities.
Final revenue estimates show $19.99 million (51.1%) coming from the state, $17.28 million (44.2%) from local sources, and smaller contributions from tuition and other revenue.
The finalized budget also reflects a major policy shift in Richmond: the General Assembly voted to fully lift the state’s long-standing “support cap” on school staffing, a restriction imposed during the Great Recession that limited how many support staff the state would help fund. The change restores $223 million in recurring funds across Virginia school divisions and will allow Rockbridge County to hire more instructional aides, cafeteria workers, custodians, and other essential personnel.
Thompson credited both state and local officials for progress made in the FY26 budget cycle, even as cost pressures and inflation continue to challenge rural divisions. The budget is based on an average daily membership of 2,200 students.
