# School Board Business Meeting: 10-14-26

Norfolk Public Schools School Board workshop and business meeting, October 14, 2026. The board received an elementary and middle school literacy update using Lexia as the division’s interim monitoring platform after Virginia eliminated the state growth assessment. Fall results showed more than half of elementary students well below grade level and nearly half of middle school students in the foundational band; the presentation identified grade 3, students with disabilities, and middle-school participation as areas needing attention. The monthly financial report showed $117.4 million in revenues and $124.4 million in expenditures and encumbrances through September 30, including $37 million in encumbrances; staff said the approximately $6.9 million difference reflects commitments not yet fully spent, rather than necessarily an operating deficit. The board approved the report subject to audit. Staff also described plans to explore automating federal Impact Aid survey collection and agreed to provide follow-up information about certain grants and the Project Prevent program.

The board discussed draft legislative priorities for the 2027 Virginia General Assembly, including education funding and formula changes, assessment flexibility, and state support for universal free meals; members supported adding opposition to unfunded mandates, while the final document is scheduled for a later board vote. At a public hearing on phase two of school consolidation and zoning, speakers raised transition-planning, staffing, and facility-funding concerns, including the proposed Jaycox rebuild, Suburban Park replacement, and the role of a proposed 1% sales tax. No construction funding or contract action was approved. Board members requested a collective discussion of phase two before voting; the transcript indicates a vote had been anticipated for November 4, but members expressed discomfort voting without prior discussion. The consent agenda and meeting agenda were approved, and the board also voted to enter closed session.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Education, Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 14, 2026

### Sources
- [School Board Business Meeting: 10-14-26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxVdUFyzi3I) - Norfolk Public Schools