Board weighs a referendum on a 1% local sales tax

What happened

On July 22, 2026 the Portsmouth City School Board discussed, and then listed for a roll-call vote, a resolution supporting a referendum on a 1% local option sales and use tax. Virginia lets qualifying localities ask voters to approve such a tax to pay for school construction and renovation. A resolution like this is a statement of support; the city and then voters would decide whether the tax happens. The published agenda does not record how the vote came out.

Why it matters to families

Portsmouth's school buildings are funded through the city budget and borrowing, so a dedicated sales tax would be a new and much larger pot of construction money than the division normally controls. It would also mean a tax increase that every shopper in the city pays, which is why it has to go to voters rather than being decided by the board.

The evidence

The board's official BoardDocs meeting index lists, for the July 22, 2026 special meeting and work session, item 3.2 '(Discussion) Adoption of a Resolution Supporting a Referendum on the 1% Local Option Sales and Use Tax' and item 3.6 '(Roll-Call Vote) Adoption of a Resolution Supporting a Referendum on the 1% Local Option Sales and Use Tax'. The index does not record the vote tally or the resolution text.

The source