EDITOR’S NOTE: The commentary below is from Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Daniel W. Smith. Stafford supervisors have raised taxes on homeowners by a cumulative 56 percent since 2021 and failed to pass a new BPOL tax on businesses this week after overwhelming community opposition. The views in the letter are the writer’s.
National Voter Registration Day, observed September 15, offered a reminder that civic participation begins well before Election Day. This November, Stafford County voters will consider a referendum on whether the Board of Supervisors should have the authority to levy an additional local sales and use tax of up to 1% for eligible school capital projects.
As voters prepare for the election, it is important to have clear, accurate information about the referendum and the school facility needs it is intended to address.
Stafford Schools’ facilities are community assets that require long-term planning and investment. The condition and capacity of those facilities affect the daily learning environment for students and staff, as well as the county’s ability to accommodate future enrollment.
While our schools are well-maintained, many facility needs are significant, documented, and long-term. The School Board’s FY27 Adopted Capital Improvement Plan identifies more than $1.9 billion in school capital project costs, although not every project would be eligible for funding through the proposed tax. This includes approximately $1.7 billion for major projects and $224.8 million for repair, replacement, and renovation projects.
Thirteen of our buildings were last modified nearly 40 years ago. Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center, which is at the top of the division’s priority list, is nearly a century old. Although maintenance can extend the useful life of a building or major system, it cannot eliminate the eventual need for replacement or renovation.
The adopted Capital Improvement Plan includes major projects such as replacing Edward E. Drew Middle School, Hartwood Elementary School, and Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center. It also includes critical systems restoration projects at T. Benton Gayle Middle School, Hampton Oaks Elementary School, Rodney Thompson Middle School, and Winding Creek Elementary School, along with a performing arts wing addition and renovation at North Stafford High School.
Even with those projects included, 17 additional priorities remain unfunded, including critical systems and restoration projects, transportation and support facility improvements, four elementary school replacements, an early childhood center addition, and three new schools.
Virginia law allows eligible counties and cities to propose a local sales and use tax of up to 1% for eligible school capital projects. In Stafford, an additional 1% sales and use tax could generate at least $13 million annually, depending on taxable sales activity. Revenue from the tax would be required to be used solely for eligible school capital projects, including new construction, major renovations, and related bond or loan financing costs.
The revenue could not be used for employee salaries or benefits, instructional materials or programs, routine supplies and repairs, transportation operations, other day-to-day expenses, or non-school county projects.
The referendum concerns how the county could fund certain long-term school investments. If approved by voters, the referendum would authorize the Board of Supervisors to levy the additional tax. The Board would then determine whether to impose the tax, its rate, and its effective date through a subsequent ordinance, as provided by state law.
Because the tax would apply to eligible taxable purchases made in Stafford County, it could be paid by residents and nonresidents alike, including visitors, commuters, and travelers who make taxable purchases in the county. This differs from a funding mechanism based solely on local property ownership.
Stafford Schools has provided information about the proposal at www.staffordschools.net/salestax. Voters can also review registration, polling place, early voting, absentee voting, and ballot information through the Virginia Department of Elections.
Early in-person voting begins Friday, September 18, and continues through Saturday, October 31. The regular deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration is Friday, October 23. Virginia also permits same-day registration and voting by provisional ballot after that deadline through Election Day.
Our schools serve today’s students, but their impact reaches far beyond the classroom. Maintaining these community assets is part of preparing Stafford County for the generations that will follow. As National Voter Registration Day reminds us, preparing to vote is part of participating in important community decisions.
Daniel W. Smith, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Stafford County Public Schools
Stafford
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