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By Charlie Spiering
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
The public hearing for the Rappahannock County School Board only drew about 26 people, but there was plenty of controversy as citizens voiced their opinions about the proposed budget.
The proposed school budget is asking the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors for an increase of $548,910 from the last year. Of the additional funds, $332,228 is proposed for a 4.5 percent increase across the board for employee salaries.
The school budget is the largest expense for the county’s annual budget. The recent reassessment of land value that caused alarming tax increases throughout the county has many citizens giving additional scrutiny to the ' budget.
“The county cannot give you $495,000 more this year. It isn’t there,” said Monira Rifaat from the Piedmont District. She suggested cutting administrative positions within the school to reduce the increase in the budget.
“It’s a difficult thing to say that teachers have a right to have higher salaries,” she added. “There is only so much money that you can get out of my hide and there are people with very low incomes and they are suffering.”
Roger Cordani, a citizen from Flint HiD, noted that higher taxes were driving working-class citizens out of the county.
See HEARING, Page A2
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