The Bottom Line on the Proposed FY 19-20 Budget (1)

Important Budget Update: City Council Informally Agrees to Provide an Additional $2.6 Million
Posted on 04/10/2019

In a work session held Monday, April 22, Portsmouth City Council informally agreed to provide Portsmouth Public Schools an additional $2.6 million for its FY-2019-20 Operating Budget. As background, the City Manager’s Proposed Operating Budget cut the School Board’s original request by $3.1 million. This informal agreement among City Council members, if ultimately approved, will restore $2.6 million, allowing the school system to implement a 3 percent raise for its employees.

So what’s next? City Council is scheduled to vote on its FY-2019-20 Operating Budget, which will include Portsmouth Public Schools’ budget, on May 14. The additional funding must be included in that final budget document to become a reality.

Portsmouth City Council discussed several methodologies to provide the schools the necessary $2.6 million increase. This included raising the real estate tax and increasing the meals tax. Ultimately, Council agreed to take the money from its own unappropriated fund balance.


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Making the Case: The City of Portsmouth is Underfunding its Schools

 This page will be used to keep stakeholders up-to-date on the progress of the Portsmouth Public Schools Operating Budget as it moves toward City Council adoption on May 14, as part of the City of Portsmouth's operating budget. At this point, City Council is deliberating on the city manager's recommendation which proposes cutting the school system's request by $3.1 million. On March 31, 2019, the City of Portsmouth published a full page ad in The Virginian Pilot emphasizing "Lifelong Learning." Below is the school system's response to that ad.

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