Wage Agreement, New Staff In Approved Prince William Schools Budget

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — On Wednesday, the Prince William County School Board approved a $1.89 billion budget, which includes a new impact from the collective bargaining process and new staff positions.

The budget, which included operating and debt service funds, is an approximately $111.3 increase from the last budget. According to a previous budget presentation from the superintendent, compensation accounts for an $83.2 million increase. $46.7 million is proposed for additional staff and other initiatives.

"The FY 2026 budget represents our continued commitment to the bold priorities and goals in the PWCS Vision 2025 Strategic Plan, which is designed to ensure every student has access to the resources, support, and opportunities needed to thrive," said Superintendent La Tanya McDade in a statement.

While the school board approved a collective bargaining agreement last year, pay had been an unresolved item not in the agreement. The school system announced in January that it had reached a two-year wage agreement with the union. The agreement includes an average pay increase of 7 percent in the first year — in this budget. The second year of the agreement will provide an average 6.4 percent pay increase. The $160 million commitment also includes adjustments to the certified staff pay scale and supplements at or above the region median to maintain competitiveness with regional counterparts.

"This historic two-year wage agreement is a significant investment that bolsters our workforce, adds critical positions, and provides classroom support crucial to delivering and, ultimately, improving on student outcomes," said McDade.

Along with staff pay increases, the budget provides additional positions for student services and school operations. That includes 50 new special education teacher assistants, 15 behavior specialists, eight graduation coaches for at-risk students and five school psychologists. The PWCS budget will add 33 deans of students at every high school and middle school for enforcement of the student code of behavior. Other initiatives are adding English learner teachers to meet state standards, expanding social worker support and increasing security staff.

“This budget is laser-focused on improving student achievement for every single student across the county," said Dr. Babur Lateef, chair of the Prince William County School Board. "We continue to prioritize the strategic plan which was developed by our entire community. Doing so over the last four years has made Prince William County Public Schools one of the best school districts in the nation."

The school board-approved budget will be presented to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, which provides the bulk of funding for PWCS. The county has a revenue-sharing agreement to provide 57.23 percent of the general fund to PWCS. The county's proposed budget calls for an $82.5 million increase in the transfer to PWCS. Last year, the approved budget provided a $105.1 million increase to PWCS. Final county budget adoption by the Board of Supervisors is expected on April 22.

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