Albemarle County Public School News: March 2025

Key Dates, Updates, School Board Vacancy Candidates

Walton Middle School Principal Josh Walton recognized the outstanding work of two student groups. 

•       National History Day (NHD) Projects: Social Studies Department Chair Alex Groff introduced Walton’s participation in this year’s NHD competition. All Walton students completed a project around the theme Rights & Responsibilities in History, with 39 advancing to the district level and 16 moving on to the state competition in April in Richmond. Several students attended the meeting to share insights about their projects, reflecting on their research and the significance of their topics.

• Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest: English Language Arts Teacher Jennifer Peart introduced 8th grader Lillie Kenney, who won first place in the state in the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen essay contest. Lillie went on to compete at the national level, placing 17th in the country. The theme for the 2025-26 contest was How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?

School Board Approval of the FY 26 Funding Request

Director of Budget and Planning Maya Kumazawa facilitated the approval of the FY 26 School Board Funding Request. She presented an update on the budget development process, an overview of anticipated revenues and expenditures, along with a modified funding scenario that would reduce the funding gap from $5 million to $750,000.

The School Board ultimately approved this modified scenario, which includes $284,699,140 in operating funds and $28,439,082 in Special Revenue Funds for Fiscal Year 26.

Budget materials are available online at k12albemarle.org/budget. The upcoming school board meetings on April 10 and April 24 will provide additional opportunities for public input and any necessary adjustments to the Funding Request. Community members can also share comments or questions by emailingbudget@k12albemarle.org. The school board is scheduled to adopt the FY 26 Budget on May 8. Albemarle County Public School News March 2025 leads to follow up stories so watch our CharlottesvilleFamily website for updates.

Division Mid-Year Data – Quarterly Assessments

Dr. Dallas Hitt, Director of School Improvement & Quality, Policy & Strategic Planning, and Craig Dommer, Executive Director of Curriculum, Assessment & Instruction, presented an overview of the division’s mid-year data review. Their presentation covered the three types of data ACPS relies on to assess student progress, the division’s ongoing use of 90-day plans to drive school improvement, and how individual student plans are used to support learning outcomes.

Board of Supervisors Meeting – March 17, 2025

School Board’s Funding Request Presentation

On March 17, School Board Chair Dr. Kate Acuff and Vice-Chair Dr. Rebecca Berlin presented the School Board’s 2025-26 Funding Request to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. Their presentation provided an in-depth look at the budget and the financial decisions leading up to the request. Key topics included:

1.   An overview of ACPS – Who we serve and how our budget is developed

2.   The value of public education – Why strong investments in schools benefit the entire community

3.   Current budget status – Where we stand financially and the challenges we face

4.   Key funding proposals – Specific areas of investment for FY 26

5.   Capital needs – A look at facility improvements and long-term infrastructure planning

6.   Summary and next steps – A review of key financial decisions made throughout the budget development process and the timeline for finalizing the budget

Visit k12albemarle.org/budget to stay up to date on the 2025-26 budget development process.