Augusta boards will ask area legislators to fight for a break on VRS costs

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday promised some financial relief for the locality’s schools in next year’s budget, but a $3.1 million increase in the schools’ budget for Virginia Retirement System and group life insurance costs also prompted other action.

Supervisors and county School Board members agreed during a joint meeting to write a letter to members of the region’s General Assembly delegation, asking them to take action to lessen the VRS/group life insurance burden for the county schools.

Augusta County Administrator Patrick Coffield and schools Superintendent Chuck Bishop will draft the letter, and it will be signed by all members of both boards and delivered to area legislators during a trip to Richmond by the supervisors next week.

While there was skepticism that the letter will have impact Wednesday, there also was support for taking the action.

“We hope our local legislators will fight for us down there,” said Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Jeff Moore. “We have no control over [VRS]. If the $3.1 million is in the budget, we will be drastically different. It’s the state legislators’ responsibility to look out for us.”

School Board member Nick Collins said a cut of $3 million in the schools’ budget could come only in the biggest line item: personnel.

“If we do that, we have to increase class sizes and reduce educational programs,” he said. “Our student achievement will decrease down the road.”

Supervisor David Beyeler, who represents the South River District, broached the idea of a possible tax increase to help with the schools budget, saying if it means adding a penny or two to the tax rate, “let us bite the bullet.”

Supervisors did reach a consensus on helping offset the loss of $1.1 million in revenue to the school district from a change in Augusta County’s composite index, which decides how much state funding goes to individual jurisdictions.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Tracy Pyles said that the money likely would come out a county capital account, and that “we are willing to dig into our reserves to help the school system, because it is helping us and that is what our people want us to do.”

Pyles bristled when School Board member David Shiflett asked for more money beyond the composite index offsetting funds.

He told supervisors that he appreciated the “good words” of support.

Shiflett said that, at the end of March, the School Board still must balance its budget, and that there is “no place to go and get 3, 4 or 5 million dollars.”

Shiflett said he did not hold out hope that a letter to local legislators would really help. He said the future of Augusta County is on the line.

“We are talking about the economic future of Augusta County,” he said. “We have some needs, we need some money.”

Pyles said supervisors are doing what is being asked by offsetting the loss of money from the composite index change.

He told Shiflett the School Board should have looked at fewer capital improvements in recent years and identified more money for operating costs.

But Pyles said there is a limit to what can be done.

“This board is very supportive of education,” he said. “But money only comes from one place: our citizens out there.”