Avula announces $8.2 million proposed increase to RPS budget, short of $12 million ask
Just two days after the Richmond School Board voted to request an additional $12 million from the city for the schools’ budget next year, Mayor Danny Avula announced in a press release Thursday afternoon that he will propose giving $8.2 million instead.
“Our children deserve learning environments that are safe, enriching, and full of opportunity,” Avula said in the statement. “This budget invests in the full ecosystem around our young people — strong schools, caring adults, and the programs that help students learn, grow, and thrive beyond the school day.”
The announcement comes ahead of Avula’s budget introduction on March 11, and brings the city’s contribution to the RPS budget for fiscal year 2027 to $257 million, up from last year’s $248 million.
In a joint statement from Superintendent Jason Kamras and the School Board, members said the city’s proposed increase helps the division meet its collective bargaining agreements. But the division is “still critically short of the amount needed to fully fund our recently approved budget, which already includes millions of dollars of cuts, including the reduction of 46 central office positions.”
“Fully funding public schools is not simply a policy choice — it is an investment in our shared future. When schools have the resources they need, students have greater opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed,” the statement reads.
The decision puts the survival of Richmond Virtual Academy in danger. The school costs the division $3 million annually.
The academy’s teachers and families demanded that Board members put proposed funding for the school back into the budget at its meeting Tuesday night after Superintendent Jason Kamras suggested leaving it out and closing the school for good.
Victoria A. Ifatusin
Board Vice Chair Matthew Percival (1st District) and Anne Holton (6th District) voted against the decision, saying that it is "unrealistic" to expect extra funds when the city is constrained by the upcoming property tax freezes.
The amount also falls slightly short of the $9 million Kamras proposed asking for, meaning that the division will have to find roughly $800,000 or scale back on other items.
Kamras and the Board said they will continue working with city officials and advocating at the state level.
Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org
