RPS budget up for a vote after months of pushback
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The Richmond School Board is set to vote Tuesday night on a budget that was partially rewritten after months of backlash over proposed cuts.
Why it matters: The revised plan depends on $21 million in additional city funding — an amount Superintendent Jason Kamras said the city is "extremely unlikely" to provide — and would still mean dozens of employees would lose their jobs.
State of play: It's been a tense few months for RPS that started with a belt-tightening budget proposal from Kamras and morphed into heated town halls, protests and a public fight over transparency, teacher pay and student services.
- The pushback has come from employees, parents, and some School Board board members, who have questioned both the proposed cuts and how the district arrived at them.
Zoom in: Kamras' initial proposal for next year included cuts to mental health services, ending summer school for elementary and middle school students and closing the Richmond Virtual Academy.
- It also paused across-the-board raises and placed more health insurance costs on RPS staff.
The reasons: "A difficult budget year" due to the city's upcoming property tax freeze, expected state budget pressures including Medicaid costs and one-time funding sources expiring — limiting revenue while costs for salaries, health insurance and more are rising, Kamras said.
- He noted RPS expects a $31 million increase in expenses but only $9 million in additional revenue, creating a $22 million shortfall.
What's changed: Last month, Kamras introduced a revised budget that restores most of those cuts — but keeps the elimination of over 40 central office roles, a decision staff and School Board members have slammed, and closure of the virtual school.
- Union members in negotiations, which includes teachers, would receive a 2% raise.
- Custodians, transportation staff, principals and more with existing collective bargaining agreements retain their raises.
- Health insurance costs would be split 75/25 between RPS and staff instead of the initial 50/50.
Yes, but: Without the extra funding, the restored raises and programs would likely disappear.
Between the lines: Emails obtained by The Richmonder show that RPS notified 74 employees — including central office staff — that they were being laid off ahead of the budget release.
- 29 positions would be tied to Richmond Virtual Academy closing, including teachers, college counselors, principals and coaches.
What we're watching: The Richmond Education Association, a union representing RPS educators, has called for a city or state audit to understand how the district reached a more than $20 million gap.
What's next: The School Board meets Tuesday at 6pm. You can livestream it here.