With proposed $1.2 billion budget, Prince William Schools Chairman touts higher graduation rates, increased scholarships

WOODBRIDGE — There was an uncommon display of solidarity on the Prince William County School Board this year: Its proposed fiscal year 2020 budget was passed unanimously with little debate.

Prince William County School Board Chairman At-large Dr. Babur Lateef presented its 2020 budget to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, which fund the schools with an annual automatic budget transfer of 57% of its total budget.

The school division, by law, uses the money as it sees fit without guidance from the Board of County Supervisors. So, the School Board’s presentation of their proposed budget is, technically, just a courtesy.

Lateef provided highlights over the past year that included a 100% accreditation rate, rising graduation rates (up to 92% – a 10% improvement over the past 10 years), and over $74 million in 2018 scholarships.

Looking forward to 2020, the new $1.2 billion budget focuses on funding the School Board and Superintendent’s priorities, including opening a new elementary school, John D. Jenkins Elementary on Prince William Parkway, as well as building a new Western Transportation Bus Center.

The School Board’s proposed 2020 operating budget is about five percent higher than last year and will serve school system’s anticipated 91,000 students. While enrollment is up slightly from last year, the rate of growth from 2018-19 to 2019-20 is actually lower in the past, largely thanks to fewer births during the recession, said Lateef.

However, enrollment trends also show Special Education populations, English language learners, and students who qualify for free/reduced lunch are all increasing more quickly than general enrollment. This disparity has created a funding gap, he adds.

Though the 2020 budget will not fully address the funding problem, these rising priorities are still reflected. Special Education programs are allotted just under $6 million in the proposed budget, and, thanks to the governor’s goal of reducing student-to-faculty ratios for school mental health employees, $4.6 million is budgeted to hire an additional 46 mental health workers including psychologists, nurses, social workers, and counselors.

$5.6 million will be put toward Career and Technical Education (CTE) needs, and $24 million is marked for merit-based teacher and employee salary increases. Lastly, the School Board is piloting a new program to open select school athletic property, like the outdoor tracks found at most high schools, to public use on evenings and weekends.

Though no specific high school has been selected as of yet, the proposal was well-received, and the BOCS anticipates a strong, positive community response to the new initiative.

With continuing overall goals of using fewer trailer classrooms and class-size reduction and more robust programs for special populations, the School Board requested the Board of Supervisors proactively consider the county’s growing educational needs.

“Our spend rate is incredibly low relative to our neighbors,” Lateef explained. “So we do a good job of efficiently spending our money. But we are dealing with challenges in programs that we should be funding a little bit more.”

While no conclusion was reached regarding exactly how many dollars would be required to fund the School Board’s request for “modest increases” in the years to come. Furthermore, expanding school programs and support has the potential to make the county more attractive not only to future residents but also to businesses, like Amazon, that is looking to expand into the area, said Lateef.

The Board of Supervisors will approve a final budget on Tuesday, April 30.