$50 Million School Shortfall as County Starts Budget Talks

Loudoun County Public Schools will have to come up with creative ideas to plug a potential $50 million hole in the district's 2015 budget, as presented by county staff.

The $1.98 million county budget presented by Loudoun County Administrator Tim Hemstreet would prevent a real property tax increase for homeowners, as requested by the Board of Supervisors, but it wouldn't meet the needs presented by the school system.

To address the gap in funding, Hemstreet suggested the school district lay out the impact the budget would have on school operations. 

“In order for the Board of Supervisors, the School Board, and the public to engage in the dialogue appropriate to balance needs with resources, additional data should be requested, or existing data reformatted and provided by the school system that gives insight as to what can be accomplished on a programmatic level through options at different tax rates,” Hemstreet said in a statement.

The board of supervisors will meet with the school board Feb. 18 to go over budget figures.

See more information on the Loudoun County 2015 Budget