Augusta County supervisors say they're "getting killed" by the proposed state budget, and not getting the support they deserve from lawmakers.
They traveled to Richmond on Thursday, with the hope that face-to-face meetings will lead to revenue relief.
"There's a feeling that perhaps our delegation is representing Richmond to us," says Supervisor David Karaffa. "The goal really is - and their job really is - to represent Augusta County and Staunton and Waynesboro to Richmond."
Supervisors and school board members have called the governor's proposed budget the source of their pain. They say it requires Virginia localities to shell out an extra $1 billion this year, to make up for the shortfall in the Virginia Retirement System. Augusta County's share would be more than $3 million.
"Where we're really just getting killed is our VRS number," notes Supervisor Jeff Moore.
"It needs to be done over more than one year, that's for sure," adds Karaffa. "One shot to a school system can be a knockout punch. But if we do it over a couple of years it's something we may be able to absorb."
The Richmond trip came just hours after teachers, students and parents pleaded with supervisors to give protect public schools from crippling cuts. Several of them suggested it's time for a local tax increase.
"It's something we cannot take off the table," warns Supervisor Larry Wills. "But the type of increase that it would take is beyond what would be reasonable to ask for our taxpayers at this time and in this economic situation."
Wills and his fellow board members urge school supporters to join them in taking this message to lawmakers: it's not too late to fill the state funding gap.
"If we can get our guys in Richmond to be little more reasonable, we can get back to where it's something that we can manage," says Moore.
Augusta supervisors have already proposed a $1.5 million increase in their share of school funding. That's partly to make up for the losses in state revenue.
