By Isabel Lewis, contributor
Despite uncertainty about how much Harrisonburg City Public Schools will get from the state, the school board is emphasizing salary increases, particularly for instructional assistants.
The Virginia General Assembly has not yet reached an agreement on a budget for the fiscal year of 2027 and will have to take that up in a special legislative session next month. The General Assembly has disagreed on how much to increase salaries for teachers. The House proposed a 2% increase, and the Senate proposed a 3% increase.
In the meantime, the school board is planning for a 3% raise for staff. If the state provides more funding, the school board has a wishlist of goals, including increased salaries and a new dean of students role in middle schools.
After the last school board meeting, board members are planning for at least a 6% salary increase for instructional assistants, but hope to reach a higher salary increase with help from state funding.
Board Member Kaylene Seigle said she appreciated hearing from instructional assistants at the board’s last meeting.
“I had heard and been made aware of the salary, but it was quite eye-opening when it was actually presented,” she said.
Teachers also offered their appreciation for instructional assistants, echoing the need for an increased wage.
“It hurts my heart. Instructional assistants do so much for our school community. I see them in my classroom constantly, and I feel like I’m learning from them more than students in my classroom are learning from me,” said Brooke Imber, a Keister Elementary art teacher.
Imber said instructional assistants are in-tune with the needs of every student they work with and help work with teachers to create individualized plans.
One instructional assistant said she makes less than $25,000 a year and gives 235 service minutes each day to seven students with the highest needs at her school.
“I deserve to be able to eat by the end of the month. That’s all I’m asking is to have enough money to eat at the end of the month,” she said.
The school board said they have hopes to give faculty “just” and “competitive” wages, but this reality will have to wait until a state fund is approved by the General Assembly.
The board estimages hat all Standards of Quality (SOQ) positions will receive a $1,500 bonus.
The city has asked the school board if it could accept $500,000 less in the 2026-2027 budget because of its own challenges to provide raises to city employees. State funding is expected to be much higher this year due to a low Local Composite Index score in Harrisonburg, which allows the school to take a loss of $500,000 from the city more easily.
HCPS leaders have plans for how to increase employee salaries if the state does not increase funding:
Additionally, the proposed budget for the Nutrition Department includes updating service lines in two elementary schools and one secondary school. A similar project was just completed at Thomas Harrison Middle, and the cost for the project is around $100,000. Another $3,500 would also be allocated to staff professional learning to implement fresh scratch cooking.
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