Schools budget grows past $128 million, almost all of it from the state

What happened

Harrisonburg's adopted operating budget for 2026-27 is $128,923,330, up about $5.3 million from $123,642,104 the year before. State money supplies nearly all of the increase, rising to $75,430,649 from $70,344,171. The City of Harrisonburg's appropriation is close to flat: $48,224,305 plus $518,000 for career and technical education, against $48,724,305 in 2025-26.

Why it matters to families

Where the money comes from matters as much as how much there is. When the state pays for the growth and the city's share stays level, the division's finances follow decisions made in Richmond rather than at City Hall, and a weaker state budget year would land directly on Harrisonburg's classrooms.

The evidence

The division's budget page publishes the 2026-27 operational budget as $128,923,330, with revenue of $75,430,649 state, $48,224,305 city appropriation, $518,000 city career and technical education support, $4,114,978 federal and $635,398 recovered costs, plus a separate $7,169,332 school nutrition budget. The FY2026 adopted budget book gives the prior year's revenue summary: $123,642,104 total, $70,344,171 state and a $48,724,305 city appropriation. The budget book is a scanned document, so its figures were read from the page image.

The source