Residents may speak out on the Manassas City Public Schools 2023 budget.
The Schoo Board will hold a public hearing at its 7 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, March 8, at Manassas City Hall, 9027 Center Street.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kevin Newman presented the $121.5 million proposed budget to the School Board on February 8.
A proposed budget presented to the Manassas City Public School Board would focus on adding new teachers, new school construction, and funding programs to help disadvantaged students and English Language Learning students.
The Manassas budget would rely on the proposed budget made by former Governor Ralph Northam before his exit last month. Before taking office, current Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he wanted to pass Virginia’s most significant education budget.
According to a breakdown, nearly 87 percent of the budget would go to salaries and benefits for teachers and support staff. This also accounts for new teachers and specialists that would be brought in to deal with a range of areas such as family liaisons, a Pre-K specialist, and elementary resource teachers, to name just a few.
The budget also recommends setting aside $63 million to construct a replacement building for Jennie Dean Elementary School. The school board approved the reconstruction last year in its Capital Improvement Plan.
The replacement Jennie Dean should open in 2026. The existing school was built in 1959 as a middle school and has had additions made in 1977 and 1990.
A proposal by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to eliminate the state’s grocery tax worries public schools officials, as a significant portion of education funding comes from the tax. On Thursday, Youngkin told a crowd gathered in Stafford County that he’s working with the state legislature to ensure that eliminating the tax would not result in fewer dollars for education.
Youngkin promised to pass the most significant education budget in the state’s history on the campaign trail. He called for higher teacher pay, more funding for public schools, and new charter schools.
