POQUOSON — “Recruit, retain and grow” was the focus of a joint budget meeting between the City of Poquoson and Poquoson City Public Schools on Wednesday, March 24.
The Poquoson City Council and Poquoson City Public Schools board members were presented with a proposed budget that is aimed at closing the pay gap between PCPS and neighboring localities.
“In order to establish a benchmark, and for points of reference, sometimes we don’t have any choice but to compare ourselves to others as best we can,” stated Poquoson Mayor David Hux at the opening of the meeting.
“It’s common knowledge that we exist as a city because of our school system,” Hux said, sharing he did some research to find out if any other localities have the same distinction.
Admitting his efforts to answer this question were limited to a Google search trying several different keywords, Hux stated he found no results that showed another city existing exclusively based on a school system, “We are very much an anomaly. It is difficult for us to find another community or another school system that is a direct comparison. We are very unique.”
“I believe Poquoson City Schools has been, is and will always be the engine that drives the city forward. We literally exist because of it and therefore it will always be the cornerstone of the city,” Hux continued. “The health and well-being of the schools is proportionate to the health and well-being of the city- and vice versa.”
The competitive compensation program included in this year’s budget is “built around retaining and attracting highly skilled and high performing staff. We must administer pay and benefits in a way that is fair and transparent to all,” explained School Superintendent Arty Tillett.
Andrew Roberts, Assistant Superintendent for Operations (PCPS), presented the compensation study that created the basis for the 2026 budget. Roberts stated PCPS is “amongst the lowest in pay in the region”.
Roberts said the division has seen veteran teachers leave PCPS for teaching positions in other Virginia localities with higher pay that will boost their retirement benefits. The goal is to meet the regional market average in pay across our area for all jobs and positions within the division.
Compared to 17 regional divisions in eastern Virginia that include Williamsburg-James City Schools (WJCC) and York County, where the current market average salary is $53,352, the PCPS average salary for a first-year teacher is $47,650.
PCPS is proposing to raise first-year salary wages to $54,000, helping to bridge the gap between WJCC ($54,000) and York County ($55,125).
Chris Burbage, PCPS School Board chair, said, “Our budget is focused on the teachers and staff that make our school system one of the best in the region.”
Based on the funding that is approved through the Commonwealth, PCPS is asking to increase it’s 2025 Fiscal Year (FY) budget by 6.7% from $30,572,840 to $32,621,087. Noting that 82% of the budget is allocated to salaries and benefits.
“To achieve and maintain our ambitious standards of service and performance, Poquoson schools must continue to recruit, grow and retain well-qualified staff who exemplify these values and high standards,” Tillet said.
The City Council will be presented with the proposed Poquoson City FY2026 budget at its April 14 meeting. A scheduled public hearing session for the proposed budget takes places on April 28.
Citizens are welcome to attend the meetings and participate in public comment.
The final budget vote is scheduled for May 12.
