‘No Wish List, No Luxuries’ Division Supt. Dr. Marcia Martin (center) and School Finance & Operations Director Heather Maier (right) walked the Board of Supervisors through the division’s entire proposed 2026-27 budget during a two-hour, 15-minute joint meeting on Monday night, March 2nd. Also shown are Dr. Carrie Gravely (left), Director of Exceptional Education & Special Programs; and Dr. Chandra Lewis, Director of Student Services & Testing.
The cost of educating each Nottoway County child in the proposed 2026-27 school budget is $17,528 per year.
Of that total, the state would provide $10,752, federal funds would cover another $2,613, and Nottoway County would provide $4,163.
School Board members and the Board of Supervisors met for more than two hours last Monday night, March 2nd, discussing the division’s proposed $22 million operating budget.
Nottoway County’s Required Local Effort is increasing to $4,817,167. That number is based on the state’s Local Composite Index — a formula that determines a locality’s ability to pay based on True Value of Property (weighted 50%), Adjusted Gross Income (weighted 40%), and Taxable Retail Sales (weighted 10%).
Supervisors also are be- ing asked to contribute a Required Local Match totaling $2,490,302. Those monies help the division provide Pre-K for disadvantaged children, Early Reading Intervention, K-3 Class Size Reduction, SOL Algebra Readiness, and programs for at- risk students. That $2.4 million in local match provides the division an additional $6,480,902 in state funds for those programs.
Fancy Meeting You Here Supervisors John Roark (left) and Bo Toth exchanged pleasantries upon their arrival at March 2nd joint meeting with the Nottoway School Board. Both wore caps promoting Southside Livestock Market, where Toth is part-owner.
Altogether, the Board of Supervisors is being asked to provide the division $7,307,469 in County money — an increase in local funding of $1.14 million, or 18%, which would be equivalent to about 9 cents on Nottoway’s current real estate tax rate of 48¢ per $100 valuation.
Basically, the state is providing 78% of Nottoway’s operating revenue, with Nottoway County providing 22%.
Nottoway’s projected Average Daily Membership (ADM) is 1,675 K-12 students in the proposed budget.
Division Supt. Dr. Marcia Martin and School Finance Director Heather Maier told Supervisors that this year’s Local Composite Index numbers are based on 2023 and that they are assessed every two years. Both predicted Nottoway’s required local effort will increase in two years based on 2025 assessments.
Dr. Martin also warned that if Supervisors opt-out of providing $2.4 milllion in local matching dollars, the division would have to cut 54 positions and would lose recent gains that have led to all five schools being Fully Accredited by the state.
The division is planning to spend $778,000 on raising Nottoway’s pay scale so that starting teachers would begin at $52,795. The division currently ranks 11th in 1st year teacher pay among 12 schools in Region 8.
Supervisor Daphne Norton said that while starting teacher pay here is low, those with tenure rank among the highest in Region 8.
Dr. Martin agreed but said, “If you could keep somebody here 30 or 40 years, yeah, it’s great, but we have only a handful at the top of the scale.”
Nottoway’s proposed school budget also includes an increase of $2,233,714 in state funds and 3% pay raises for all staff.
Supervisors, who have raised taxes in each of the past two years, appeared supportive of ther division’s request but also are facing several simultaneous challenges: paying for what some predict will be a court-ordered $20-30 million new courthouse, a $7 million public safety radio system, a $2.1 million animal shelter, and a proposed $4.5 million HVAC replacement at Crewe Primary — a school that was built circa 1968 and which could have mold and/or structural questions based on several leaks in recent years.
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