A staff-only trip to The Rose Gaming Resort on school buses has put Stafford County Public Schools on the defensive, with the division insisting that no taxpayer dollars were spent, while a supervisor argues that the outing reveals misplaced priorities.
The August 3, 2026 outing has drawn scrutiny for its optics and limited transparency at a time of rising real estate taxes and debate over a potential new local sales tax for school projects.
A Freedom of Information Act request for itineraries, personnel lists, costs, and related emails produced heavily redacted approval records and no financial documents. School division officials say no taxpayer dollars funded the trip and no gaming occurred. Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal L. Vanuch, the only elected official to respond to a request for comment, called the event inappropriate and questioned the division’s spending priorities.
The Rose Gaming Resort is a casino and entertainment complex located in Dumfries, in Prince William County. In addition to gaming floors, the property includes a hotel, restaurants, and conference and meeting space for private events and group activities.
Division Response
In a formal response Monday, Chief Communications Officer Sandra Osborn said Superintendent Daniel W. Smith thoroughly reviewed the event agenda and logistics before approving the trip as a staff team-building activity. All substantive answers to questions directed at Smith came through Osborn, the division’s hired spokeswoman.
“The event was approved as a staff team-building activity, and no gaming activities took place,” Osborn wrote. She stated that “no taxpayer dollars were used to pay for the trip” and that no records responsive to the financial portion of the FOIA request exist for the timeline specified.
School buses used to transport staff are owned, fueled, and maintained with public tax dollars.
Osborn also said the School Board was not involved. The trip was treated as an operational matter within the administration’s authority. She defended the redactions, saying the named individuals—Deputy Superintendent Chris Fulmer, transportation official John Wilcots, and administrators Kimberly Kim Austin and Marcie Robertson—are internal employees, and the working-papers exemption covers internal deliberative communications.
Smith has served as superintendent of Stafford County Public Schools since December 2024. He previously worked as chief of staff and acting superintendent for Loudoun County Public Schools.
Supervisor Criticism
Vanuch, who represents the Rock Hill District on the Board of Supervisors, said she was not informed of the trip.
“I was not made aware of this inappropriate team building event,” Vanuch said in an on-record statement Monday. “It should caution taxpayers in the midst of a 56 percent increase of their real estate tax; over the last several years, what other events are being done that they don’t know they are financing and at what costs to their personal sacrifice…voters should really weigh how much is too much. They already were hit with a 56 percent increase in real estate increases. Do they want a higher sales tax now so that every purchase in the county, every online or Amazon purchase would now have a higher tax in Stafford, especially in light of the way spending is being prioritized.”
Vanuch was the only member of the Board of Supervisors, the School Board, or the Stafford-area state legislative delegation to respond to comment requests sent on Aug. 14.
FOIA Records and Transparency Concerns
Records obtained through FOIA show internal emails and trip-tracking activity in mid-to-late July regarding the use of school buses for the staff outing, identified as Trip ID 37729. Transportation staff raised concerns about the optics of sending buses to a casino resort. An agenda titled “We Are ‘All In’ at Falmouth” listed team challenges and a scavenger hunt item described as “Something representing luck,” along with a CPR training component.
Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, reviewed the records and said the working-papers exemption is discretionary.
“Records documenting the back-and-forth that led to the field trip’s approval can be released — and should be released — because using school buses to go to a casino is an unusual request and one where the ‘optics’ are concerning,” Rhyne said. “The approval process for staff development, and any money spent on it, is something that should be readily available. The public has an interest in knowing how their money is spent to support school staff.”
Tax Context
Both the Stafford School Board and Board of Supervisors formally supported legislation authorizing localities to seek voter approval for an additional 1% local sales and use tax dedicated to school capital projects. The authority was included in the 2026 state budget signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger. As of mid-August, Stafford had not placed the referendum on the November ballot.
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Redacted FOIA Emails
The following are the redacted email records released by Stafford County Public Schools.
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