Education

To offset the 5 percent increase in the Virginia Retirement System and increases in medical insurance and group life insurance, Galax School Board requested more than $200,000 from the city to allow faculty and staff to break even on their paychecks next school year.
Schools and localities must give employees a 5 percent raise to offset the cost of contributions. Galax City Public Schools will raise salaries by 6.25 percent, which will allow teachers to take home the same net pay next school year as this school year.

INDEPENDENCE — Grayson County School Board received 11 applications for the soon-to-be vacant division superintendent position.
According to information provided to The Gazette, there were 18 inquiries, but only 11 full applications.
In terms of experience, three applicants are current or former superintendents, two are assistant or deputy superintendents, three are central office administrators, two are principals or building-level administrators and one was classified as “other.”
Of the 11 applicants, seven are men and four are women.

HILLSVILLE — Just when the Carroll school system’s funding shortfall seemed to be resolved with the approval of about $1.8 million in new funding from the locality Monday, a county supervisor continued to question where that money will come from.
In the end, not getting the specific details he wanted from his fellow supervisors, Joshua Hendrick, the Laurel Fork representative on the county board, voted “no” on the school budget.