FCPS Superintendent Dr. Demetrius Liggins said the budget is balanced and there is no deficit.
"There's no missing money of $16 million. It was something that said if we do everything that the board has said they want to do and keep moving forward, we will be $16 million short," said Liggins.
Board Chair Tyler Murphy stated that the district was able to pool $1 million in district expenses, including layoffs, and an additional $4 million in staff reductions, which involve leaving positions unfilled after an educator leaves or retires.
They will also adjust retirement funds. Some board members, such as Dr. Monica Mundy, expressed concern after not receiving an organized list of proposed changes between the tentative and working budget until Sunday.
And board member Amanda Ferguson spoke out about the lack of transparency and hiring practices in administration, saying, "The problem that we have with budgeting is that all these positions were created with one-time funds, and we told schools not to do it, but we did it here. And now we have all these administrators in this building."
Moving forward, part of the requirement is that Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins returns to the board with a plan to restore the district's contingency fund, which is currently at 4% to 6%.
Dr. Liggins was grilled by lawmakers last week about the district's financial issues, and some have called for his resignation. The district's suspended budget director has also filed a lawsuit, saying she was retaliated against for warning about budget issues.