Superintendent Dr. LaTanya D. McDade presented the Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget during the School Board meeting held on Feb. 7. The $1.78 billion operating budget prioritizes investments aligned with the PWCS Vision 2025 Launching Thriving Futures Strategic Plan.

“The Proposed FY25 Budget supports and continues to build upon our commitments outlined in the Strategic Plan,” said Dr. McDade. “We have strong strategic priorities and goals that drive our investments to realize our vision to see every student graduate on time with the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind necessary to create a thriving future for themselves and their community.”

Students and staff are prioritized by the PWCS budget, as an estimated 80% of funding is invested in supporting the instructional core: students, staff, and curriculum.

One key priority is to provide competitive wages. To achieve this, the budget allocates an additional $71 million to fund average salary increases for teachers (5.2%), mid-career teachers (8.1 - 9.1%), classified staff (6%), and administrators (5.2%) for FY25. These increases account for cost-of-living adjustments and step increases, while also maintaining the 2% mid-year scale increase from FY24.

“Investing in our students begins with investing in our workforce by delivering on the promise for regionally competitive pay,” commented Dr. McDade.

If approved, the Superintendent will have overseen the average PWCS teacher salary increase of 28.2% over four years. Other notable investments to the budget include assistance in classrooms by adding 125 new teacher assistants serving students with special needs, 23 kindergarten teacher assistants, 15.5 reading specialists, and adding a stipend for IEP case managers. Funding for the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) focuses on new additions and facilities to address need, renovation projects for older schools, and advancing sustainability goals.

Following Dr. McDade’s presentation, the School Board will hold a public meeting on the FY25 Proposed Budget and CIP on February 12, with an official public hearing on February 21. A School Board work session for the final markup on the budget will be conducted on March 13. The School Board will consider approval of both the 2025 Budget and CIP during a public meeting on March 20. Upon approval, the budget will be forwarded to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

More information on the Budget and CIP timeline may be found on our website.