Advocating for Sterling Families: Key Wins from the FY27 School Board Budget Meeting
As a School Board member dedicated to our Sterling students and families, I’m sharing highlights from last night’s Loudoun County School Board meeting, which was a win for our Sterling schools!
The FY 2027 budget centers on teacher salary increases outlined in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) approved in November 2025, before I joined the board. This three-year deal, starting July 1, 2026, commits to 15.5% to 19.5% cumulative raises to support educator retention amid rising costs. This move helps level the teacher salaries to make them more competitive in the Northern Virginia market, helping us recruit and retain top teaching talent. It also provides raises for those who support out schools like bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians.
I’m really excited about this for our teachers and staff.
Through this process I have been strongly advocating for our English Learning (EL) programs and supports, and we got those in the School Board Amendments listed below.
SCHOOL BOARD AMENDMENTS
From last night’s meeting here are a few key highlights that impact our Sterling community, which I supported:
- Boosting English Learner Support: We approved adding two EL specialists ($272K) and three elementary EL facilitators ($409K) to better train teachers and support diverse students.
- Keeping Meal Costs Affordable: I proposed an amendment to remove a proposed 20-cent increase in school meal prices, preserving breakfast at $2.50 and lunches at $3.45–$3.55. This avoids $700,000 in added family costs amid rising unpaid debt.
- Covering Transaction Fees for Meals: We ensured the division continues paying credit card fees for meal accounts (~$1.5M/year), preventing new charges on families.
- Enhancing Special Education: We added a special education mentor coach ($136K) to guide new teachers, reducing turnover.
- Other Targeted Investments: We supported shifting $1.175M to current spending, adding $25.5K for career education, an educational diagnostician ($130K), and device carts for first-graders ($300K).
These amendments reflect our focus on learning equity, family relief, and student success.
Drawing from the Superintendent’s Estimate of Needs (SEON)—a $2.1 billion proposal with a 5.3% increase—we also highlighted student-focused expansions like the International Baccalaureate (IB) program’s growth (building on last year’s addition at Park View High School) and three new sports for 2026-2027: Girls’ Flag Football, Girls’ Wrestling, and Boys’ Volleyball.
FINAL BUDGET VOTE
The final budget passed in a 7-2 vote. I want to share my statement about the final vote itself and my concerns with the budget process. Our primary job as a School Board is to oversee the growing School Board budget and finances, and to hold the administration accountable for its spending. Over the last four years, I’ve watched the budget process with great curiosity and concern.
Three things can be true at the same time.
- I absolutely support our teachers, students, families, and staff. I am excited for the additional investments in staffing and services that will directly help our Sterling families.
- I support our administrative staff who work hard to lead the division in their respective areas.
- I am also concerned with the budgeting process, in general. This isn’t a personal attack, it’s a business process and design issue that I have serious concerns with.
Here was my closing statement: “Our families across Loudoun work hard for their money. We owe it to them to spend it wisely. That’s why I take our fiduciary responsibility so seriously. After thorough review, I’m unable to support the current budget proposal due to insufficient transparency on key assumptions, certain line items, and underlying projections. Full disclosure is essential for prudent stewardship and for making informed decisions that truly serve our taxpayers and students. I remain committed to championing a fully transparent and accountable oversight process—not just for this budget, but for the entire budgeting process moving forward.
Greater clarity would enable us all to evaluate proposals with the rigor our community deserves. This process is very similar to giving your teenager $200, and a grocery list, to go to the store. But when they get home all you get to see is what’s in the top of the bags. You don’t get to dig into the bags or see the receipt. You have only a surface idea of what was purchased. That’s the best analogy I have for this process.
I should add, that I don’t blame the staff. This has been the way it has always been for years. But with the impending flattening of the data center revenues at some point between now and 2030, we have to do something different in order to not back ourselves into a much harder set of decisions down the road.”
IN SUMMARY
I will continue to be a vocal advocate for our Sterling community. I am excited to work with everyone to ensure each of our schools have the resources they need for student success, while creating great workplaces for our staff. Strategically, I will work collaboratively with our administrative staff to ensure they are fully supported in their efforts. But I also promise to be a good steward of your tax dollars, and help to promote true transparency and accountability, so your money is spent wisely.
Amy Riccardi Budget Closing Statement | February 3, 2026
