To better understand the predicament facing City Council and the Fredericksburg City Public Schools in crafting a Fiscal Year 2026 budget, you could study pie charts, calculate bond proceeds or scrutinize appropriation plans.
Or, you could simply note the tenor of the conversation that took place Tuesday night, during a joint work session between the two bodies.
“I’d like to enter an existential scream into the record for what we’re facing right now,” Councilor Will Mackintosh said. “I want the record to show that we’re staring into the abyss and screaming. Picture me like one of those Renaissance paintings.”
Officials framed the budget situation as bleak for several reasons.
Fredericksburg Director of Finance Amanda Six explained that the city faces a “two-pronged” federal risk. Not only could Fredericksburg suffer the effects of direct funding loss, but it also could feel the economic impact of federal job losses due to its proximity to Washington, D.C.
Deputy City Manager Mark Whitley explained that one precautionary “lever” available to the municipality is appropriating 90% of the overall budget. That would mean officials hold back on spending approximately $12 million overall and $3 million in school funding until City Council can evaluate conditions midway through the fiscal year.
Such an approach “would be very challenging for us,” said FCPS Chief Financial Officer Jen Brody, “because at this point we are a division of people.” Approximately 90% of the division’s current operating budget is devoted to salaries and benefits, Brody explained.
As a result of the uncertainty, FCPS will likely institute a funding freeze, Brody said.
“I would suggest that if we have something that’s not a payroll item that we would like to purchase during the year, that we wait,” she said.
In recent weeks, FCPS officials were apprehensive about funding for Head Start, a federally-funded program that helps educate low-income children and their families. Brody said Tuesday that while the division received grant funding on April 1, it was for only a half-year — and at FY 2024 levels.
“We’ll keep an eye on that, but we don’t have enough funding for next fiscal year,” Brody said.
In addition to Medicaid funding, which Brody said “is at significant risk,” the division’s ability to offer free lunch for all students could go away if changes are made to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a program offered through the USDA.
“We know, in that case, we would have some kids who were hungry,” Brody said.
Later on, Mackintosh raised the question of whether FCPS will see increased enrollment due to economic stability leading families to pull their children out of private schools.
Once members of both bodies took turns asking questions about school funding, councilors broached a few budget-related proposals ahead of next week’s discussions. A public hearing on the budget is set for April 15.
Councilor Jannan Holmes (at-large) asked to discuss partner agencies, noting that the Thurman Brisben Center asked not to be evaluated by the Fredericksburg Continuum of Care, the federally-mandated organization that coordinates services for homeless individuals and their families.
“That’s their choice, but that’s our way of vetting those organizations,” Holmes said.
As a result, Holmes proposed that a portion of funds previously allocated to Brisben be diverted to two other organizations: Loisann’s Hope House and Empower House. In all, Holmes asked that $25,650 be reduced from Thurman Brisben’s local funding.
For his part, Ward 2 Councilor Jon Gerlach renewed his request for the city to explore an agreement to receive a portion of data center tax revenue in advance.
