By Heather Michon
Correspondent
The Fluvanna County School Board voted on Wednesday (Dec. 10) to significantly revise its fiscal year 2025–26 carryover request after a late audit adjustment reduced the amount of unspent funds available to return to the county.
The revised figure reflects a $181,519 reduction tied to a reclassification of state revenue that should have been recorded as a county contribution, school officials said.
Superintendent Peter Gretz told the board the discrepancy surfaced only because the division had requested the full amount of its carryover this year. In prior years, smaller requests meant the issue went unnoticed.
“The county and schools had both done it the same way the last couple of years,” Gretz said. “It became an issue this year because they matched to the penny.”
After voting to reopen the issue for debate, board members did an hour-long line-by-line review of proposed carryover uses, assessing which items could be reduced or removed to align with the revised balance.
Among the most significant additions to survive the cuts was $26,000 for an enrollment and capacity study, including site visits.
Board members said the study is increasingly urgent as the county projects 500 to 700 additional students over the next five to seven years, with most growth expected at the elementary level.
The study will help answer recurring questions about grade reconfiguration, building utilization, and whether existing schools can absorb additional students without relying on trailers or pushing younger grades into secondary buildings.
“I can’t tell you the number of eighth-grade dads of girls who holler at me in the fall and are like, ‘Is my kid safe here?’” said James Kelley, Palmyra District representative. “And then to do that a year earlier is certainly not ideal either. I don’t know what the solution is, but the more we know about our options, the better.”
To make room for the study, the board eliminated or reduced several previously proposed expenditures, including funding for school resource officer positions that are now expected to be covered through other means, and deferred some facilities and equipment upgrades.
The final approved carryover list includes funding for network infrastructure at Fluvanna County High School, a backup Cisco switch to support multiple schools, partial-year attendance support positions, PSAT testing costs, and an auditorium audiovisual upgrade to be completed in phases.
The revised request passed on a 3-2 vote, with the chair, Andrew Pullen (Columbia), voting no, citing disagreement with some of the final priorities but allowing the board to complete its deliberations.
The revised carryover request will now be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.
FOIA policy updates
The board also heard a first reading of a proposed update to its Freedom of Information Act policy that would establish a standardized rate structure for large or time-intensive records requests.
School officials said the current policy charges requesters based on the hourly rate of the employee who completes the work, a practice they described as inconsistent and difficult to administer.
“This shouldn’t be a function of my personality or whoever comes after me,” Gretz said. “We want something transparent and consistent that we can apply every time.”
The updated policy would align the school division’s rates with guidance from the Virginia Department of Education and clarify when charges apply, particularly for requests requiring extensive searches or redactions.
Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act is one of the primary tools citizens have to verify how public institutions operate. Without it, residents must rely solely on official statements, which ultimately limits transparency and weakens public trust.
Board members also discussed ongoing public confusion about whether personal devices used by elected officials are subject to FOIA. Gretz noted that personal texts, including family messages, are not automatically public records under the law.
The policy will return for a second reading at a future meeting.
Other notes
The meeting marked Pullen’s last appearance as Columbia representative. During public comment, resident and frequent Pullen critic Ashleigh Crocker accused him of contributing to division within the school system during his eight-year tenure. Pullen did not respond during the meeting. Board members earlier thanked him for his service as he concluded his final term.
Board members also praised Nikki Sheridan, who concluded a brief term as interim Fork Union representative, citing her willingness to step in during a period of transition and her rapid engagement with complex issues. Several members highlighted her professional expertise in construction management and said she brought a valuable perspective despite her short tenure.
Gretz told the board that all Fluvanna County public schools remain fully accredited, continuing a streak that now spans more than a decade. He noted that the division has been identified as “on track” at the middle and high school levels, with Carysbrook and Central elementary schools flagged as “off track” due to special education subgroup data – a designation he said reflects reporting changes rather than a loss of accreditation.
