ACHS Set to Lose Teachers & Security in FY27 Combined Funds Budget

The Superintendent’s Proposed Fiscal Year 27 (FY27) Combined Funds Budget was introduced at the ACPS School Board meeting January 22. 

Unfortunately, the $406.5M proposed budget does not include the $1.8M in added, specific staffing needs identified by ACHS parents, teachers, students and staff in the PTSA’s Fall Advocacy Letter, nor does it address the critical needs highlighted in our Family Engagement Letter. Next year ACHS will see increases in high school students overall; and enrollment in free and reduced lunch, English Language (EL) and Special Education. The latter increases costs from $22,000 to $40,000 per student. Despite these stated increases, ACHS FY27 staff remain unchanged in these areas.

Recruitment and retention appear to be a goal of the proposal while ACHS continues to lose experienced teachers – two just this week – and no apparent movement on the search for a new Executive Principal. This proposal also does not reflect the priorities our community has repeatedly voiced, including fully staffing both campuses to minimize movement between buildings and maintaining security.

As the largest school in the division serving 28% of its students, ACHS should receive 28% of available resources, but this budget provides less than 17% or $62.7 million and there are no specific new revenue streams or grants proposed for the high school in 2027.

For the Academies/two-campus model to function smoothly, ACHS requires at the minimum, 11 additional full-time employees (FTE) including: an Assistant Principal; three Special Education teachers; five EL teachers; a SAGE Trainer for Emergency Medical Services; and an Alternative Learning Program Coordinator. Instead, the FY27 ACHS budget cuts 3.30 FTEs including a math teacher (.5), a business teacher (.8) and school security (2.0). Other notable cuts include the loss of a school-wide 504 instructional assistant (1.0) and other support specialists. Everything else in the ACHS portion of the budget remains flat. 

The School Board will hold the first work session and Public Hearing on the proposed budget on January 27. The full budget timeline and a summary of this year’s budget process can be found here. 

*ACTION ITEM: Please help the PTSA respond to the proposed shortfalls by sharing your personal stories in support of our language teachers, increased teacher stipends, our EL and Special Education families and other needs. Contact Advocacy Chair Marguerite Rippy at Advocacy@achsptsa.org to join the effort or write the School Board directly here.