Superintendent Dr. John Murray of Chesterfield County Public Schools has presented a proposed operating budget of $1.03 billion for fiscal year 2027, focusing on employee compensation, school facility maintenance, and student transportation.
“This is a balanced budget designed to meet essential needs that support student success and sustain a high-quality educational experience,” Murray said. “Our schools are a major reason families choose to live in Chesterfield County, and continued, sustained investment is foundational to maintaining that strength.”
A key part of the proposal is an approximate 5% salary increase for employees. Teachers and school-level administrators would receive a 4% cost-of-living adjustment plus a step increase; other employees would see a 5% raise. The plan raises the starting teacher salary to $57,277 and sets the minimum wage at $15.28 per hour. It also includes targeted increases for academic and athletic stipends and substitute pay.
The budget introduces a new major maintenance program aimed at addressing aging infrastructure across the division’s 68 schools. The plan allocates an additional $1 million in operating funds for maintenance-specific borrowing and pay-as-you-go funding, which will allow approximately $30 million in repair work during FY 2027.
Student transportation is another priority, with about 15% of the current fleet of 635 buses more than 15 years old. The budget proposes purchasing around 45 new buses annually starting in FY 2027 to improve safety, reliability, ride comfort, and long-term costs.
Overall, the proposed operating budget marks a $47.9 million increase from FY 2026. This includes workforce compensation improvements, required cost increases, targeted student support investments, higher health and dental insurance costs for employees, the opening of Deep Creek Elementary School, expanded programs at Career and Technical Center @ Hull, and planning staff for an upcoming west area high school.
Projected revenues include an expected $33.6 million boost from state funding along with $14.3 million in county and local funds. There will also be a reduction of $12.8 million in expenses due to a technical adjustment by the Virginia Retirement System; employee retirement benefits remain unchanged.
Dr. Murray noted that while this is a balanced budget proposal, there are additional unmet needs not included in it. He emphasized ongoing advocacy efforts to improve Virginia’s school funding formula based on findings from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission’s cost-of-education study.
Community members are invited to participate in upcoming School Board work sessions as well as town hall meetings where further details on the proposed budget will be shared and feedback can be provided through oneccps.org/budget.
