Proposed $31M Funding Cut For PWC Schools Reversed: Report

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Prince William County supervisors Tuesday night decided not to pull more than $31 million from the county’s expected public school budget, the Prince William Times reports.

Last week, the board provisionally decided to cut the real estate tax rate from $.906 to $0.85 per $100 of assessed value, to cut the meals tax rate from 3 percent to 2 percent, and to exclude a new computer equipment tax hike from the county’s traditional revenue sharing program with the schools. The combined effect would have eliminated $31.2 million from the county public school budget.

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The move caused backlash, and more than a dozen residents spoke out during public comment time, including at least one resident who had never spoken at a board of supervisors meeting before.

In the end, the board slimmed down the real estate tax relief, adopting a decrease to 86 cents per $100 of assessed value. It maintained the meal tax at 3 percent and decided to share revenue from the increased computer equipment tax rate, the “data center tax,” with the school district as it traditionally has with such revenue, dividing it so that about 57 percent goes to the school budget and the rest to county operations.

The data center tax increase was maintained at 35 cents.

In a statement, Prince William County School Board Chairman At-Large Babur Lateef thanked members of public who spoke in support of the schools and supervisors who voted to amend the budget, saying “Their action to restore critical funding we had expected through the long-standing revenue-sharing agreement demonstrates a continued commitment to our students, staff, and families. The sustained funding ensures we can continue delivering on the priorities outlined in the School Board adopted budget, including teacher pay increases and new athletic programs for students."

The school system's final budget, the Prince William Times reports, is $1.15 billion, a 12.5% increase from the 2026 fiscal year. The tax cuts approved of yesterday decrease the expected budget by only a few million.

Read more here.