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The Suffolk Public School Board unanimously approved to use 2024-2025 year end funds for additional retention bonuses for SPS employees if the money is available. However, extra funds left over at the end of this fiscal year won’t be known until after June 18 due to year-end closing practices, said Wendy Forsman, SPS chief financial officer. 

At the Board’s last meeting on May 7, members were presented with a list of priorities to rank in order of what they want to spend any year end funds on. After compiling each members’ individual rankings, the following were identified as the top 10 priorities with estimated costs:

1. Employee retention bonus – $725,300
2. Replacing security cameras – $439,850
3. Repair Oakland courtyard – $100,000
4. Repair sinkholes – $1,140,460
5. Replace copiers – $150,000
6. Replace telephones – $168,500
7. Replace desks and furniture – $100,000
8. Paint the interior of Kings Fork High School – $375,000
9. 575 additional school radios – $231,525
10. Paint metal roofs at Lakeland and Nansemond River high schools – $620,000 

Because the amount of available funds is not yet known, the Board only approved money to be spent on the bonuses, the rest of the priorities have been tabled.

“I want to give bonuses to everyone within the school division, I want to see that. But, you know, when you can’t pay your utility bill at home … you don’t go buy tickets to Bush Gardens for your kids,” Board member Kimberly Slingluff said. “I think without knowing how much money we’re going to have left over, I’m concerned where are we going to find the money for some of these things that do directly impact our kids and our schools.”

Vice Chair Sean McGee expressed concerns over the prefunding of John F. Kennedy Middle School furniture not being identified as a top priority.

 “With that new building, it would be nice for all those students and staff to receive new furniture,” he said. “I want the Board to really take a hard consideration for that. I would be really disappointed to put old furniture in a new building.”

Board member Tyron Riddick agreed, stating, “No old furniture is going inside that [JFK] building. We’re gonna advocate strong and hard and if we have to reshift budget priorities somewhere else, no old furniture is going inside of that building.”

Riddick also said he was displeased to see the roof painting of Lakeland and Nansemond River low on the list because if they are left unpainted, it could cause greater roof issues. Booth school roofs have not been painted in nine years.

Identifying parent pick-ups and drop-offs as an issue, Riddick also proposed the idea of laying gravel on the grass football field lots where parents can wait instead of “spilling out into the roadway.” 

Instead of having each Board member individually rank items, McGee said it might be more fruitful to have a Board discussion and group ranking in future years to ensure more collaboration.