Chesterfield County Public Schools -

School Board approves $986.7 million budget

At its Feb. 27 special meeting, the School Board approved a $986.7 million balanced operating budget for FY 2026. The proposed budget funds operational costs for the 2025-26 school year while providing the needed resources to meet our many state requirements and guidelines, meet community expectations and retain a high-quality workforce.

The approved budget reflects an increase of $17.2 million over the budget proposal made by Superintendent John Murray in January because, based on estimates approved by the General Assembly, additional funding is now expected from the state. Priorities that were previously on the unfunded list have been added to the approved budget, including:

Student-facing needs

• $9.7 million for special education support

• $4 million for ELL growth

• $100,000 for Communities In Schools expansion

Other needs

• $1.2 million for fleet maintenance and fuel

• $210,000 for other inflation

• $577,000 for technology equipment

• $582,000 for mega trailers 

Here is a list of all remaining unfunded priorities that will be considered if additional funding becomes available. 

What’s next?

Now that the School Board has approved a budget, it will be sent to the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors. They will go through a process that is similar to the process for schools: County Administrator Joe Casey will present the Board of Supervisors with a proposed budget on March 12. Then, community town hall meetings will be held, and the Board of Supervisors will approve a county budget on April 9. This budget includes funding for schools.

Even when this work is complete, the county budget and schools budget cannot be finalized until the state passes its budget. Once that occurs, amendments to the CCPS budget may be needed based on the final state budget. This should happen before July 1, 2025.

At its Feb. 25 meeting, the School Board took action to confirm that March 31 is a holiday for students and staff who follow the traditional and year-round school calendars. This date had previously been marked with an asterisk and a note that the holiday would be reviewed and adjusted if necessary.

Please note: Confirmation of the March 31 holiday was on the School Board's agenda for the Feb. 11 meeting that was canceled due to snow. Action to confirm the March 31 holiday was planned before school days were missed and information was shared with families about half days becoming full days. An additional calendar update is planned that will include the needed changes in regard to instructional time and snow days. As we have previously shared, this is what is planned:

• March 21 and May 29 will be full school days for students instead of early dismissal days.

• Because schools opened on a 2-hour delay on Friday, Feb. 21: We are applying for a waiver from VDOE so we do not have to make additional changes to the calendar. If the waiver is not approved, May 30 (the day currently scheduled as the last day of school) will be made a full school day. On the current calendar, that day is scheduled to be an early dismissal day.

Complete student calendars for 2024-25 that include the March 31 update are available on this webpage, including English and Spanish versions of the regular school year calendar and the year-round calendar followed by Bellwood Elementary. It is best to access student calendars from the school division website. It is suggested that you bookmark that page in your browser for quick access. If you search for a calendar via Google, then an outdated version of the calendar may appear in the results.

Read the winter issue of CCPS on the Go

The winter edition of CCPS on the Go is now available in English and in Spanish. This issue includes details about enjoying student artwork during Arts Fest in March and how to buy CCPS-branded merchandise 24/7. It also reveals the name of our top speller and who is getting inducted into the school system’s Hall of Fame. There is much, much more in CCPS on the Go, so check it out!

CCPS on the Go began in 2021 as a printed publication that was mailed to every home in Chesterfield County. Starting with the fall 2024 edition, the award-winning publication shifted to a digital format. An archive of all issues (in English and Spanish) is online.

School Social Work Week is March 2-8

School Social Work Week (March 2-8) is an opportunity to acknowledge the dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to support Chesterfield County students and schools. Please make time to express your gratitude to members of our school social work team for their unwavering commitment to the well-being and academic success of all students.

The school social work team of Chesterfield County Public Schools includes

• 35 school-based social workers

• two attendance social workers

• nine attendance intervention specialists

• four McKinney-Vento personnel

These professionals support 67 schools and over 64,000 students. They offer essential mental health services, provide academic support, address attendance challenges, ensure educational stability for students experiencing homelessness and work closely with families and communities to promote student success. Their commitment to addressing challenges — from academic barriers to personal hardships — ensures that every student has the opportunity to thrive.

Dr. Monique Booth named chief of schools

Dr. Monique Booth has been named chief of schools for Chesterfield County Public Schools, effective March 3. She has worked in CCPS for 20 years in various roles, most recently as director of elementary curriculum development and support. Dr. Booth’s leadership experience also includes elementary and middle school, central office leadership as a special education liaison and director of elementary school leadership. In her roles, she has focused on developing the leadership capacity of teachers, school-based leaders and instructional specialists.

Black History Month events

• To celebrate Black History Month, students from Virginia State University spent time with Salem Church Elementary students. The connection included performances by the VSU Sankofa Dance Theatre and conversations with members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. This video takes you to the celebration at Salem Church Elementary.

• Elizabeth Scott Elementary students, staff and parent chaperones headed to the National Museum of African American History and Culture when schools were closed on Presidents Day. Learn more and see images from their field trip here.

March 4 virtual session offers info about CCPSOnline

Students in grades 9-12 can register for CCPSOnline classes through April 25. With learning available 24/7 in a no-bells, no-limits virtual environment, the flexibility of CCPSOnline classes can help high school students create the schedule they want.

Act now to take advantage of this Chesterfield County Public Schools opportunity:

• CCPSOnline registration for summer 2025 and for the 2025-26 school year opened Feb. 3 and ends at 5 p.m. April 25.

• Students and parents are invited to a virtual info session about CCPSOnline at 6:30 p.m. March 4. There’s no need to register in advance, just click this link to join the discussion. Also, students can talk to their school counselor about how CCPSOnline may fit into their schedule. 

• The website offers details

  about CCPSOnline.

Citizens Budget Advisory Committee presents annual report

The Citizens Budget Advisory Committee presented its annual report to the School Board in February. The purpose of the advisory committee is to help the School Board evaluate and allocate resources to ensure a high quality, effective and efficient school division. The full report is available here and includes these themes:

• Underfunded

  • A 2023 JLARC study found that public schools in Virginia are significantly underfunded, including in Chesterfield County ($200 million to $300 million).

  • CCPS building maintenance and replacement cycles for school buses and technology are chronically underfunded.

• Inadequate

  • The initial proposed revenue increases included in the governor’s budget and offered by the county cannot meet CCPS needs. 

  • Inflation exceeded 3% in 2024. 

  • Ever-growing CCPS enrollment (for example: English learners and special education students).

Learn more about all advisory committees here.