Roanoke City Public Schools will hold a virtual town hall meeting Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to talk about potential cuts school officials are considering due to budget constraints.
At a virtual school board workshop meeting Jan. 27, Kathleen Jackson, chief financial officer with RCPS, shared a presentation with the school board, giving an overview of the division’s financial realities moving forward.
Jackson said during the school board meeting that RCPS will be operating at a shortfall of $16.5 million moving forward, which comes from a net increase in year-over-year expenditures and a current deficit of about $10 million.
Potential cuts include: activity buses and supplemental transportation services, the gifted and talented “Plato” program, the Virginia Preschool Initiative, temporary modular classrooms (trailers), the new Community Empowerment Center, and around 150 staffing positions.
These conversations come after the Roanoke City Council voted on a new school funding policy in January, marking the third change to the policy in two years. Addressing the council before the vote, Superintendent Verletta White said the proposal would have a “devastating” impact on education in the city.
The new policy states the city funds RCPS annually, starting with a baseline of the total funding the division received the year before, plus 34% of any excess revenue the city makes over what was budgeted, or, minus 34% of any revenue shortfall, if the city comes in under budget.
The classroom trailers were planned as a temporary fix for overcrowding at Patrick Henry and William Fleming high schools by adding classroom space before a more permanent fix can be funded and carried out. The council, during their last meeting, reappropriated $4.3 million to RCPS to fund the installation and initial costs of the trailers, but the division would need to spend approximately $3 million to $3.5 million annually in the following years to maintain the trailers.
The Community Empowerment Center opened in August 2025, offering various services to students and their families. The center has served over 1,200 visitors so far, Jackson said.
The division is also looking at deferring facility maintenance, not renewing technology leases, reducing learning travel and other training, and reducing athletics funding.
About 156 positions within the division are expected to be cut, Jackson said in her presentation. Staffing cuts will take place at all levels, Jackson’s presentation states, including looking into reducing positions that are currently vacant. The division is also considering a hiring freeze for all but essential vacancies.
“My heart breaks that we are here,” school board member Liz Quintana said after Jackson’s presentation. “My concern is the crime rate will go up with our kids. This not only affects us but our community and our families. I honestly do not see anything else that we can do.”
Those who wish to submit questions to be addressed during the town hall meeting can do so here. The link to watch the virtual town hall meeting can be found on this page.
RCPS will hold a public hearing on the budget on Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
