WJCC School Board Approves Modified Budget

By Amber Kennedy Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Williamsburg-James City County School Board unanimously approved a revised operating budget of $110.6 million at its Tuesday meeting.

The board approved a $111 million budget on March 15, but their expected revenue fell short by $576,796. The city and county combined contribution increased over last year by 1 percent to $81.6 million, while the state contribution decreased by 5.5 percent to $26.6 million. The revised budget had to adjust for a new state mandate for Advanced Placement testing, increased fuel prices and decreased Virginia Retirement System costs.

To make up the difference, the division eliminated eight reserve teaching positions. The positions were initially proposed to be cut, but when the division received more state funding than expected, they planned to allocate $571,600 toward that. Increased expenses made that impossible, however.

A new state mandate says school divisions will no longer be able to require students to pay for Advanced Placement exams as a pre-requisite for earning class credit. It will cost WJCC $125,000 to pay for AP testing fees for students.

In addition, rising costs pushed the division to allocate more funding for bus fuel. The new budget allocates $383,990 for fuel expenses.

The revised budget also reflects decreased costs for the division’s contributions to the Virginia Retirement System. The General Assembly chose to reduce the VRS rate percentage from 12.16 percent to 11.93 percent, resulting in a savings of $514,186 for WJCC. Starting this year, employees hired after June 30, 2010 will have to start contributing to their retirement plans.

To see the budget, click here.