WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg-James City County School Board pushed back its vote on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget from the March 18 meeting to March 25 Tuesday.
Originally, the school board had intended to hold a public comment at the March 4 work session in preparation for a vote at the March 18 meeting, however, wanting to decide on a healthcare provider first, a special session will be hosted on March 25 to vote so that members of the board have time to look at the numbers before making a decision.
The current proposed budget would see bus drivers maintain their $3 pay increase, contract and stipend adjustments, new teacher pay, and health insurance based on an expected 15% increase and a WJCC/employee 70%/30% cost share as well as general adjustments to staff and support staff.
“From the outset, our goal has been to find an insurance option for our employees that is financially accessible and at the same time organizationally looked to find something that is financially accessible. The process has taken a significant amount of time, but I also feel like as an organization, we’ve done our due diligence around vetting the proposals, looking specifically at numbers,” said acting Superintendent Daniel Keever.
Keever also noted that the insurance plan year running from the beginning of October to the end of September of the next calendar year results in incomplete information due to the limited number of claims. He believes this has contributed to the process drifting into March, as they are seeking accurate data to present to the RFP (Request for Proposal) committee to then in turn make a recommendation to the board.
The next school board meeting will be held on March 18 at 6:30 p.m. at James Blair Middle School. A special session will be held on March 14 with James City County and the City of Williamsburg at 8:30 a.m. in the James City County Recreation Center. For more information, visit the official School Board page.
