Budget season is officially here.
Superintendent Jason Kamras kicked off the occasion Tuesday night by introducing a proposed $458 million operating budget to the Richmond School Board for its upcoming 2026 fiscal year – a $43.7 million increase from the previous year.
While Kamras, along with several School Board members acknowledged that the steep increase is a big ask, he said — simply put — the ends justify the means. Test scores and engagement have improved as the division continues to increase school funding.
“When we make investments into our kids, when we do the things we know they need, we see results,” Kamras said. “When people (say to) you, ‘hey that’s a lot of money,’ you should say, ‘damn right, because our kids deserve it.’”
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Superintendent Jason Kamras introduces the Richmond School Board at City Hall on Jan. 8.
Following the adoption of its Dreams4RPS strategic plan last year, the division now has a road map to follow and plan around in an effort to achieve its goals.
This year’s proposed budget, the first developed under this plan, reflects the five key priorities outlined in the strategic plan: academics, talent, wellness, engagement and operations.
These budgeted funds range from covering rising program and testing costs, hiring additional teachers, improving engagement with its most disparaged students and repairing its bus fleet.
However, the largest figure driving the increased ask is from the division’s collective bargaining agreement with its school staff, which accounts for $16.5 million of the proposed budget.
This includes a 3% salary increase as well as an additional 1.17% bump for all teachers along with higher raises ranging from 1% to 11% for the division’s other support staff. These funds are essentially nonnegotiable as they are already included in signed contracts between division leaders and staff.
In addition to its operating budget, the division has also put forth a $13.6 million proposed capital improvement plan budget. These funds are to be used solely for school building maintenance and can roll over into the following budget.
Among the proposed projects include replacing elevators in six of its schools, replacing obsolete fire alarm panels, replacing aging playground equipment, replacing failing windows and fixing leaking water lines.
The division receives funding from the federal, state and local government to supplement its budget, with the bulk of the cost coming from the city of Richmond. Last year, the division received roughly $239.2 million from the city and $163.2 million from the state.
In this upcoming budget, the division anticipates at least $5.7 million in additional funds coming its way from the state. However, with the state budget still in the works, it is a guessing game that the division must plan around.
Likewise, as the City Council wraps up its revenue projections, the division anticipates it will need at least $30 million in new revenue from the city to fully fund its budget proposal.
With new leadership on the City Council and in the mayor’s office promising to increase school funding, the division is hopeful it will see those revenue streams flood in. But they are aware of the challenges this upcoming year will bring.
“Our revenue is going to be tight this year,” Kamras said. “We’re going to have to make some hard choices.”
RVA 100: 100 people, places, things that you should know about Richmond
The RVA 100 are the people, places, things that make Richmond so special. The Times-Dispatch will be highlighting 100 quintessential Richmond icons starting Aug. 1 and running throughout the year.
Submit your ideas for what and who we should feature at go.richmond.com/rva100yourturn.
Chimborazo Park is laden with city history and lore while also letting park-goers experience all of Richmond.
As a child, when the Legendary Santa called you by name, that memory was priceless.
Starting today, we're launching our RVA 100 series, which highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. For 100 days, we’ll showcase a different quintessential Richmond icon. First up: Agecroft Hall.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
The Blues Armory, both as a building and cultural institution, awaits a new chapter in its long and varied history. Built in 1910 for the Richmond Light Infantry Blues, the historic building is part of an impending plan for redeveloping the center of downtown Richmond.
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson is dancing in the aluminum statue that stands in Jackson Ward, the majority Black neighborhood where he grew up in racially segregated Richmond. But Robinson, a trailblazer as a Black entertainer in early 20th-Century America, didn't forget his home town or the challenges facing Black students there.
That's why the Astoria Beneficial Club led the effort to honor him with the statue dedicated on June 30, 1973, almost a quarter-century after his death in 1949.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
One of Richmond’s most colorful personalities, Donnie Corker was a legend in Richmond’s counterculture.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
Founded by free and enslaved Black people in 1857, Ebenezer Baptist Church — originally and briefly Third African Church — served as a beacon …
There is nothing quite as dark and mysterious as the lore that surrounds famed poet and storyteller, Edgar Allan Poe.
Ellen Glasgow had always wanted to be an author.
Born free in 1866 to a formerly enslaved couple in Cumberland County, Fannie Criss Payne was one of the first Black fashion designers in the country.
Vince Gilligan, 57, creator of the AMC hit show ‘Breaking Bad,’ has Richmond roots.
Gwar is very loud, a Times-Dispatch article from July 17, 1986 succintly explained.
Henry “Box” Brown pulled off one of the great escapes from slavery when he shipped himself in a box to gain freedom.
Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church has stood as a place of faith and fellowship for more than 150 years in Richmond.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
When in search of a fun day of shopping, dining and entertainment, Carytown is the hub for indie boutiques, flavorful food spots and more to s…
Nestled alongside the rapids of the James River, Hollywood Cemetery is host to the graves of many noteworthy Virginians.
Libby Hill Park is one of three original parks in Richmond, located in Church Hill. The seven-acre park was designed by city engineer Wilfred …
On the 52-mile-long Virginia Capital Trail, more than 1 million annual visitors tour 400-plus years of history from Richmond to Jamestown.
This story is part of RVA100, our series that highlights the people, places and objects that define the Richmond region. We’re exploring hidden histories and colorful backstories.
Parker Field was old and quickly deteriorating. Richmond-area baseball fans noticed. So did the Atlanta Braves, who owned the Triple-A team th…
Professional baseball was played for generations in Richmond before the Flying Squirrels soared into town for the 2010 season. Nothing before …
Established in 1993, the Richmond Kickers are the longest continuously run professional soccer club in the country and a cornerstone of RVA’s …
As the largest performing arts organization in central Virginia, the Richmond Symphony is a harmonious hub that provides a musical treat to vi…
Beginning as 600 acres of land inherited by U.S. Army Gen. Winfield Scott in 1818, the historic district that became known as Scott’s Addition…
For those who want to understand the complex history of Richmond, Jackson Ward is ground zero.
Before racking up nine All-Star selections, a Rookie of the Year award, three Cy Youngs, two World Series rings, two ERA titles and an MVP, Ju…
Born July 15, 1864, in Richmond, Maggie Lena Walker rose to prominence as a businesswoman and community leader. The first African American wom…
The clock, more than four feet tall, was installed in the 1920s and stayed there more than 60 years.
There's just one monument left on the famed Monument Avenue, the bronze statue of local tennis legend Arthur Ashe.
Richmond’s Museum District is known for its historic charm and picturesque streets lined with well-preserved early 20th-century homes and cozy…
Pat Benatar, the iconic 1980s singer known for hits such as “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” first began her musical career in the River City.
Petersburg legend Moses Malone is famous for being the first player to successfully make the jump straight from high school to professional ba…
Tucked away in downtown Richmond, the Pipeline Trail is possibly one of the city’s best-kept secrets.
Pocahontas has been elevated to a household name by colonial legends and a more recent Disney adaptation that tells her story.
Before Pabst Blue Ribbon became the unofficial “People’s Beer of Richmond,” there was Krueger’s Finest.
With most of its structure built in the early 1880s, Pump House has ceased to host the elaborate dance parties in its ballroom that the granit…
He played baseball in the Negro Leagues beginning in 1933 and was one of countless Black players denied the chance to play in the major leagues.
Richmond Ballet was founded in 1957 by a group of ambitious student dancers.
The Richmond Dairy Co. building is a byproduct of the advancing technology in the dairy business. The building, which is a Tudor Revival, adve…
The Richmond Times-Dispatch traces its beginnings to 1850 with the founding of the Richmond Dispatch by James A. Cowardin. In 1886, Major Lewi…
Among the reminders that Richmond is nearly 300 years old: those cobblestone and Belgian block streets that can wreak havoc on the underside o…
The Richmond Union Passenger Railway was the world’s first electric railway, dating from 1888 to 1949.
Since its inception in 1979, the Richmond area’s top high school football honor of All-Metro Player of the Year has just two repeat winners — …
A Richmond icon, Sally Bell’s Kitchen turns 100 years old this year.
It may not be a physical icon for much longer since local developer Hourigan Group has said it plans to raze the Southern States silos and bui…
One of music’s greatest pioneers of the 20th century, Sister Rosetta Tharpe bridged the gap between gospel and secular music by incorporating …
Unveiled in 2021 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the Emancipation and Freedom M…
Virginia’s Executive Mansion, home to the state’s governors since 1813, has entertained many distinguished visitors — from current and future …
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had the incorrect address for the Egyptian Building. This version has been corrected.
At Richmond, Virginia’s backbone waterway passes its final falls and rapids to begin its more stately path to the Chesapeake Bay. You can spot…
No, that’s not a flying saucer that landed just west of Willow Lawn shopping center. It’s the Markel Building, commissioned in 1962 by the spe…
Head south from downtown Richmond on Interstate 95 and, yes, that big concrete office building does look like a pack of cigarettes with a few …
With stacked hot pastrami, spicy brown mustard, a grilled split knockwurst and melted, gooey Swiss cheese all packed between two toasted, butt…
Tredegar Iron Works was established in 1837 as an iron forge and rolling mill located along the Kanawha Canal and James River.
Richmond is old. And few landmarks speak to the city’s storied history like the Virginia Capitol building.
For those new to Richmond, the Virginia War Memorial Carillon rises like a distant beacon above its leafy Byrd Park neighborhood.
The Triple Crossing is one of the country’s most distinctive railroad attractions, as three railroad lines cross at different levels at the sa…
Virginia Commonwealth University’s two campuses have grown tremendously through the years, changing the face of downtown. VCU is credited for …
For nearly 50 years, the Richmond Coliseum stood as the city’s premier venue for sports, concerts and political rallies.
One of Richmond’s most popular and picturesque spots is Maymont, a Victorian estate set on 100 rolling acres above the James River. Maymont se…
Train service at Richmond's Broad Street Station peaked during World War II, when a record 33,324 passengers came and went in one day in 1943.
Richmond’s more than 100 murals range from thought-provoking to statement-making to just plain odd.
The 26-story building that houses the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has towered over the James River and dominated the city’s skyline since 1978.
The historic Jefferson Hotel has welcomed thousands of visitors in its nearly 130 years of operations, including the likes of U.S. presidents,…
For nearly eight decades, the site of Richmond Raceway has been home to many kinds of horsepower.
On the south bank of the James River off Riverside Drive and across from Williams Island, Pony Pasture is among the most popular spots in the …
A star football player from Richmond’s Maggie L. Walker High School and Baltimore’s Morgan State University, Willie Lanier is famously the fir…
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