The Mathews County School Board will hold a public hearing Tuesday on its draft 2023-2024 budget, beginning at 4 o’clock in the Mathews High School media center.
While the bottom line of this year’s proposal ($18.4 million) is less than the current figure ($18.76 million), that 2022-2023 budget included $1,153,452 in one-time state monies earmarked for capital improvements. Taking that out of the equation, and providing for an across-the-board 5 percent raise (4 percent, plus step on the salary scale), the draft proposal calls for an increase of more than $800,000 in local dollars.
The school division is also adjusting to a drop in enrollment. The current budget was based on an Average Daily Membership of 890 students; the 2023-2024 budget was based on an ADM of 850. In response to a question from school board member Bobby Dobson, superintendent of schools Nancy Welch said that, at present, the division’s enrollment stands at 921 students, with 33 of those students in early childhood e...