Buena Vista Public Schools are preparing for significant budget cuts as declining state and federal funding collide with rising local costs, leaving the division with roughly $1 million less to work with for fiscal year 2027.
School officials say the proposed budget, still subject to revision once the state finalizes its funding plan, reflects one of the most challenging financial outlooks in recent years.
“We are looking at trying to figure out the bridging gap of about a million dollars,” Superintendent Heather Ault said during a recent budget discussion at a meeting of the Buena Vista School Board.
Current projections show total revenue dropping from about $16.6 million in FY26 to $15.5 million in FY27, a decrease of more than $1 million.
The largest change comes from state funding, which is expected to fall from about $12.3 million to $11.5 million. Federal funding is also projected to decline significantly, dropping from roughly $983,000 to about $606,000.
At the same time, the city’s required contribution is increasing.
The school division is requesting $2.56 million from the City of Buena Vista, up from about $2.36 million last year. Ault emphasized that this increase represents only the minimum required local match needed to access available state funding.
That increase is largely driven by a sharp rise in the city’s Local Composite Index (LCI), which determines how much a locality is expected to contribute toward education. Buena Vista’s LCI rose from 0.1803 to 0.2058 — a significant jump that signals improved local economic conditions but also shifts more financial responsibility onto the city.
Even as revenues decline, costs continue to rise. School officials are projecting increases in areas such as utilities, transportation, special education services and instructional materials. Health insurance costs are also expected to increase by about 3%.
At the same time, the division is navigating the loss of pandemic-era and grantbased funding streams, including federal programs that had supported staffing and student services in recent years.
Because of those constraints, officials say the proposed budget includes no new positions, programs or expanded services.
To balance the budget, the division is planning a series of reductions across staffing and operations. Proposed cuts include two full-time teaching positions, one full-time counseling position, one custodian, an attendance specialist, a grants coordinator, a paraprofessional position, and a medical assistant position.
Some reductions are tied to attrition or unfilled roles, but officials said the cuts will still have an impact on operations and student support.
Like other school divisions across Virginia, Buena Vista is building its budget based on incomplete information from the state.
The current proposal relies on preliminary figures from a draft state budget introduced in December. Lawmakers are to reconvene this month to continue negotiations. Board members said during the discussion that they eagerly anticipate revising the budget once final numbers are available.
“We are hopeful that when the final state budget is passed, it will include additional funding for public education, which may allow us to restore some of the critical positions currently scheduled for reduction,” Ault said in an email.
