WILLIAMSBURG – The Williamsburg-James City County School Board approved its Fiscal Year 2027 budget Tuesday, adopting a spending plan totaling $220,245,000 to support operations, grants, state programs, and student nutrition services.
WJCC Superintendent Dr. Daniel Keever said the budget was brought forward earlier than usual to align with local government budget timelines.
“We are asking the board to adopt the fiscal year budget somewhat earlier than we’ve asked the board to do in the past. That is in keeping with our work with both the city and county in terms of ensuring that our budget requests are in front of them as they are getting involved in their budgeting discussion. So, we’re a couple of weeks ahead of what we normally do,” said Keever.
The board unanimously approved the budget during its March 3 meeting.
The budget includes several funding categories:
- $202,715,000 for the Operating Fund, which supports the division’s day-to-day school operations.
- $7,100,000 for the Grants Fund, supporting programs funded through state and federal grants.
- $1,337,000 for the State Operated Programs Fund, which covers programs administered through the state.
- $9,093,000 for Child Nutrition Services, which funds school meal programs.
The operating fund, the largest portion of the budget, supports the school division’s core priorities, including academic achievement, workforce recruitment and retention, school safety, operational efficiency, and community engagement.
Under the joint funding agreement between James City County and the City of Williamsburg, the school division develops its needs based budget after receiving projected funding contributions from the two localities. For FY2027, James City County is expected to contribute at least $104.5 million, while the City of Williamsburg is expected to contribute at least $14.45 million toward operating costs.
Superintendent Dr. Daniel Keever presented the proposed budget to the board on Feb. 3 as part of the division’s annual budget development process. After approval by the school board, the proposal now moves to the James City County Board of Supervisors and Williamsburg City Council, which must approve the funding appropriation by May 15 or within 30 days after the conclusion of the General Assembly session.
Once the localities finalize their appropriations, the school board will make any necessary adjustments before adopting a final budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
To view the entire meeting, click here.
