Mayor Comments on Budget Process and RPS Funding

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Mayor Dwight C. Jones issued the following comment today regarding the ongoing consideration of the proposed Biennial Fiscal Plan for FY2016 and FY2017, as well as the five-year Capital Improvement Plan through 2020:

“As this discussion moves forward, I want to reiterate what I have proposed in my budget plan with respect to schools:

“Key specifics include: 
  • $13.1 million in School Maintenance funding (representing a 162% increase, and part of a $22.8 million five-year package).
  • Proposing the implementation of a performance contracting program, giving RPS the capability to increase their total resources by as much as another $20 million.
  • $136.9 million in local funding to Richmond Public Schools to meet existing operating budget revenue needs.
  • $425,000 to launch a network of “Future Centers” to prepare for the launch of a Richmond Promise Scholarship program to benefit graduates of Richmond Public Schools.
  • $18.3 million in capital funding for a new Dove elementary school to support the development of a high performing school that will serve pre-K through 5th graders in the Dove Street revitalization area.
  • Continued investment in numerous other programs to help educate children. These include Communities in Schools, Middle School Renaissance, and many more.
“Because I share a commitment to academic improvement I have proposed to authorize a special one-time bridge funding of $10 million from our reserve funds to jump-start RPS’s academic improvement plan, starting in the next school year.

“In a city with 21,000 students, we have 9,300 empty seats. For every two children, there’s another empty seat. This drives up the per-pupil costs, and forces Richmond to spend too much on buildings and not enough on students. I want to spend the money on children, not the empty seats.

“Finally, to address some of the questions about school funding, it is important to note the following facts:
  • Richmond Public Schools, individually, is the single largest expenditure in the City’s budget.
  • The City’s per public expense remains well above the regional average and other area jurisdictions.
  • Richmond Public Schools’ funding in my budget constitutes 23.5% of all general fund expenditures (or 20% if you exclude state tax contributions).
  • Since 2012, the City’s contribution to RPS has consistently increased.
  • The overall trend for budgeted non-departmental spending has been decreasing since 2011. (One-time RMA funding that was placed in the non-departmental accounted for the increase seen in 2013.)
  • Education constitutes the second-largest share of general fund expenditures (second to the public safety category).
  • Education and public safety were the only two categories in my budget to receive a substantial increase.
  • Public safety comprises several agencies and departments.
  • Richmond’s local expenditures for education were 90.3% above the required local effort, compared with 82% in Chesterfield and 70% in Henrico.
  • Current salaries for RPS employees exceed market rates across all experience levels.
  • RPS employees received a salary increase in FY15 when other city employees did not.