Presentation

Budget at a glance one-pager

The School Board of the City of Norfolk approved its proposed $672 million operating budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 during its business meeting held on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. This webpage is designed to give you a comprehensive overview of the plan.

The Superintendent’s Proposed Operating Budget contains four funds: the operating budget, capital improvement projects, the school nutrition program, and grants and special programs. The proposed total of all funds is $672 million of which $447.1 is the operating budget. It underwrites all salaries, benefits, and day-to-day operations of the school division. Consequently, the vast majority of the recommendations detailed here are contained within the operating budget.

Superintendent Byrdsong developed the operating budget proposal on the foundation of five priorities: employee compensation; employee recruitment and retention; right-sizing the school division; safety, security, and building maintenance; and instructional and social-emotional learning resources for students and schools.

Following is an overview of recommendations by priority area:

Priority 1: Compensation

The recommendation for teachers is: 

• Raise starting pay from $53,000 to $57,500; and
• Provide a one-step increase and a significant cost-of-living adjustment for 10-month, 11-month and 12-month teachers. Increases will be $5,000, $5,500 and $6,000 respectively. Pay increases are expected to average 8.04 percent. 

The recommendation for classified staff is: 

• Provide a one-step increase and a significant cost–of-living adjustment; average increase projected to be 8.34 percent; and
• Adjust starting hourly rate from $13.35 to $15.05.

The recommendation for administrative staff is: 

• Provide a one-step increase and a significant cost-of-living adjustment for 11-month and 12-month administrators. Increases will be $5,500 and $6,000 respectively.  Average increases are projected to be 5.94 percent.

Substitute teacher pay is also recommended to increase considerably: 

• From $17.50 to $23 per hour for daily substitute teachers;
• From $21 to $26 per hour for non-degreed long-term substitutes; and
• From $27 to $33.50 per hour for long-term degreed substitutes.

Eligible employees adversely affected by compression are recommended to receive equity adjustments:

• Employees hired before February 1, 2012, are proposed to receive a one-step increase plus two extra steps to account for the lack of step increases in FY13 and FY17.
• Employees hired between February 1, 2012, and January 31, 2015,  are recommended to receive a one-step increase plus an additional step to account for the lack of step increases in FY17.

The budget proposal contains good news in the area of healthcare benefits:

• There will be no increase in health care premiums for employees during 2025.

The employment contract for elementary assistant principals is recommended for expansion: 

• The recommendation is to move elementary assistant principals from an 11-month contract to a 12-month contract. This change addresses the current needs of the school division’s elementary schools and the disparity between the contracts of NPS assistant principals and those in other school divisions. It is expected this change will improve recruitment efforts.

Stipends recommended for staff who go the extra mile will continue: 

• Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, which were in place to combat the negative budgetary impact on the nation’s schools as a result of the COVID pandemic, expire in FY2025. Therefore, the budget proposal recommends that NPS support stipends previously underwritten by ESSER funds. These stipends are for: PBIS building leaders, wellness champions, and club sponsors. 

Priority 2: Employee Recruitment and Retention

To retain talented employees, Superintendent Byrdsong proposed a $3,000 retention bonus for full-time, contracted employees and other eligible staff who renew and complete their contracts for the 2024-2025 school year. The cost of this initiative is estimated at $18.5 million.

Another major way to support employee recruitment and retention is to offer bonuses. Therefore, this budget proposal recommends continuing bonuses that were previously paid for by ESSER funds. These bonuses include:

• A $1,5000 “Happy You’re Here” bonus for new teacher hires;
• A $2,000 “NPS Believes in You” bonus for classified employees who move to a teacher position;
• A $2,000 “Let’s Get Started" payment for student teachers who begin full-time employment here;
• A $1,500 “Welcome Back” bonus for former NPS teachers returning after a separation period of a year or more;
• A $500 Relocation bonus for new teacher hires coming from a non-Hampton Roads locality;
• A $250 “Finders Keepers” one-time incentive for non-administrative, full-time employees who refer teaching candidates who are successfully hired; and
• A $350 one-time incentive for teachers who accept a student teacher placement.

In a targeted effort to address high teacher turnover, a pilot program at Lindenwood Elementary is recommended for continuation for the purpose of further evaluation. This program provides bonuses for teachers, tuition reimbursement, and an additional supply allowance.

Other operational efficiencies proposed include: 

• Advertising funds for recruitment efforts; and
• An upgrade of PowerSchool to facilitate more successful onboarding of new employees.

Priority 3: Right-sizing the School Division 

In the face of declining enrollment in alignment with the city’s declining population, NPS must begin the process of closing and consolidating schools. Initial plans recommended to take place during the 2024-2025 school year are:

• Returning the Coronado School and Madison Alternative Education Center facility to the City of Norfolk; and
• Retrofitting the former Easton Preschool building to accommodate the Madison Alternative Education Center and the Open Campus program.

Over the last decade student enrollment has declined 14 percent. This means that several schools are under-utilized. This budget proposal will also address a long-range initiative to right-size the school division, a move that will ultimately result in the closure and consolidation of schools.

The right-sizing plan will be implemented in phases. The anticipated timeline is as follows:

PHASE 1

• Work with educational and facilities planning consultants to develop a phased right-sizing plan, expected to be completed in 2025.
• Embark upon a robust community engagement plan to design the framework for development of future recommendations.

PHASE 2

• Draft options recommending specific closures and consolidations for School Board action are likely to be presented in FY2025-2026.  

PHASE 3 

• Implementation of approved consolidations and closures is likely to begin in FY2026-2027

Priority 4: Safety, Security, and Building Maintenance 

Previous operating budgets have focused intensely on safety and security measures, from adding additional security personnel to installing weapons detection systems at all schools. For FY2024-2025, the following is recommended to build upon that record:

• Purchase additional security cameras;
• Purchase four security vehicles to increase coverage of schools throughout the instructional day;
• Increase funding for security supplies including handheld wands, batteries for security devices, etc.

In the area of building maintenance, the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget at $156.7 million underwrites major expenditures. The CIP is a separate budget from the operating budget. However, it is important to understand what is included in the CIP: 

• Funds to begin rebuilding Maury High School;
• Construction of school security vestibules;
• Installation of turf on the football fields of three high schools (Booker T. Washington, Lake Taylor, and Norview);
• Window, door, and roof replacements;
• Facility condition assessments; and
• School bus replacements.

Priority 5: Instructional and Social-Emotional Learning Resources for Students and Schools 

The proposed budget has been designed to provide additional support for students and schools.

Recommendations include the strategic addition of new positions: 

• mental health social workers (4), behavioral specialists (3), and an occupational therapist (1)

The proposal recommends that NPS continue supporting the following positions, programs and contracted services formerly paid for by federal ESSER funds. These include: 

• Tutoring programs designed to provide in-school and after-school tutoring are recommended for continuation from Virginia’s All In Grant;
• Virtual Virginia tuition for students attending in person that need to take an online class and for students who attend school remotely;
• Continuance of the technology replacement cycle for student devices (Chromebooks);
• Salaries and benefits for one school psychologist and one school social worker to support the needs of students with disabilities;
• Additional funding for instructional software; and
• A number of stipends for staff who take on additional duties and initiatives designed to address the mental health and social-emotional needs of students.

Other plans include: 

• Increase the funding set aside for contracted services for students with disabilities;
• Provide behavioral health stipends to staff who are certified in this area to help ensure a comprehensive behavioral management system is in place at schools;
• Increase funding for contracted transportation services for students with disabilities and children experiencing homelessness;
• Begin the first year of a five-year replacement cycle for musical instruments;
• Expand services to English Learners and their families through several strategies such as opening a welcome center at the Rosemont facility; increasing translation services; and offering additional family engagement opportunities. Funding will also address staff professional development in the area of cultural competency; and
• Establishing Equity and Excellence Learning Centers (EELCs) at four schools (Jacox Elementary, P.B. Young Elementary, the Ruffner School, and Booker T. Washington High).

The four learning centers address a request many community members made during public hearings and public comment periods during School Board meetings. These stakeholders made it clear they felt there was a pressing need for community schools. Community schools involve providing a system of supports for underserved and under-resourced communities. These wraparound services typically take into account such areas as mental health, social-emotional supports, medical services, and family engagement, to name a few. Schools were selected to be a part of the community schools model based upon such factors as historical school-wide academic achievement levels, the needs to provide in-house wraparound services and supports, and families socio-economic status. In short, the playing field for students who attend these selected schools needs to be leveled.

The timeline for Adoption of the FY2024-2025 School Board Budget 

The proposed budget was presented to the School Board on February 7, 2024 for deliberations. A public hearing is scheduled to take place on March 6, 2024, to gain citizens’ and staffs’ input. The School Board is slated to adopt a recommended budget later in March. It will then be submitted by no later than April 1, 2024, to the Norfolk City Council. By city charter, City Council must adopt a municipal budget, which includes school funding in May 2024. Depending upon City Council’s action, the School Board may have to address differences in its proposal and then take action on a revised budget.

To access the Powerpoint presentation on the expenditure plan click here