Stafford County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to authorize a local sales tax of up to 1 percent dedicated to school capital projects, a question now on the ballot as the school division faces separate questions about how it accounts for staff events and related spending.
The Board of Supervisors approved placing the measure on the ballot July 7. Stafford Circuit Court entered the order July 20. The option became available after a late addition to the state budget following June 29, when the General Assembly extended to all Virginia localities the power to seek voter approval for an extra sales-and-use tax limited to school construction and major renovations.
If a simple majority approves the question, the tax would take effect July 1, 2027, after a public hearing and ordinance expected in December or January. State law caps the levy at 1 percent and limits it to 20 years, though supervisors could end it sooner.
County staff estimate annual revenue of $13 million to $20 million. A full 1 percent on all taxable sales would generate about $25 million, school and county presenters told the School Board on Aug. 25, but the tax does not apply to food, prepared food or personal hygiene products.
The money would be restricted to school capital outlay — new construction and major renovations. It cannot pay salaries, operating costs or debt incurred before July 1, 2027. It could pay debt service on later borrowing or reduce the size of future loans. Officials said that could include later borrows for the Drew Middle School and Hartwood Elementary rebuilds, or help move up the Rising Star early-childhood replacement if the revenue materializes. State guidance also bars the tax from simply replacing existing funding.
The School Board’s adopted capital improvement plan totals about $1.9 billion and includes ongoing elementary and high school work, Drew, Hartwood, Rising Star, four additional elementary schools, major renovations and a long list of other projects. The county’s adopted CIP is $577 million. Officials said eight school buildings are more than 80 years old. Rising Star is 95 years old; the administration building now in use is 92.
The School Board and FOIA-covered advisory committees cannot advocate for or against the referendum. Staff said they will release only factual materials: ballot language, revenue estimates, allowable uses and CIP information. A website was scheduled to go live Aug. 26, along with FAQs coordinated with the county, town halls, one-page fact sheets and a social-media toolkit for personal use.
The referendum arrives as Potomac Local’s review of school records has produced limited answers about an Aug. 3 staff outing to The Rose Gaming Resort in Dumfries. School buses transported staff to the Prince William County casino and entertainment complex for an activity the division described as team-building. An agenda titled “We Are ‘All In’ at Falmouth” listed team challenges, a scavenger-hunt item described as “Something representing luck,” and CPR training.
A Freedom of Information Act request for itineraries, personnel lists, costs and related emails returned heavily redacted approval records and no financial documents. Chief Communications Officer Sandra Osborn said Superintendent Daniel W. Smith approved the trip as a staff team-building activity, that no gaming took place, that “no taxpayer dollars were used to pay for the trip,” and that no records responsive to the financial portion of the request exist for the specified period. The School Board was not involved, she said. The division cited the working-papers exemption for internal deliberative communications involving Deputy Superintendent Chris Fulmer, transportation official John Wilcots and administrators Kimberly Kim Austin and Marcie Robertson.
School buses used for the trip are owned, fueled and maintained with public funds. Transportation staff raised concerns in July emails about the optics of sending buses to a casino resort. Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said the working-papers exemption is discretionary and that records of the approval process “should be released” because the public has an interest in how money is spent to support school staff.
Rock Hill Supervisor Crystal L. Vanuch called the outing inappropriate and said she was not told about it. She argued taxpayers should weigh the sales-tax question against recent property-tax increases and “the way spending is being prioritized.”
A yes vote on Nov. 3 would not approve any individual school project. Those would still move through the CIP and existing financing process. The ballot question asks only whether the county may impose an additional tax of up to 1 percent for qualifying school capital work.
