ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors announced a proposal Friday for the largest amount of funding they’ve ever provided to Roanoke County Public Schools.
$130 million total will go towards building a new Career and Technical Education Center, as well as renovating Glen Cove and W.E. Cundiff Elementary schools. $80 million for the CTE Center and $50 million for the elementary schools.
Board of Supervisors Chair Martha Hooker says they believe this budget is a perfect size.
“We came to an agreement, our board did, in working through the details that $130 million could right size these projects, and it was something that was inside our current taxing formulas,” Hooker said.
Board Member Phil North emphasized that they will be able to complete these projects without raising taxes for county residents.
“We measure ourselves against three or four indicators, our finance department does,” North said. “So, as long as we stay under those guidelines and within those guidelines then it’s a sound decision.”
The county has applied for a state grant to help with several million dollars in funding.
“It’s just money saved that we won’t have to bond,” North said. “Because that money is taxpayer money from all over the Commonwealth that we’re trying to apply for and get our share.”
The School Board has said previously that ideally, the CTE project would be somewhere in the $80 million range, but suggestions from a contractor placed costs upwards of $90 million.
Hooker says that while there has been some back and forth with the school board, she hopes this proposal will bring them together.
“We have a great school system; we have a good school board,” Hooker said. “We want to be able to reconnect and move forward. We have a lot of good work to do still.”
10 News reached out to the school board for comment and they said they are still in negotiations with the Board of Supervisors in regard to their budget proposal.
The school board will vote on the proposal during their meeting on April 20.