Richmond's School Board approved a budget for next year that would raise employees' salaries 4 percent and add five special-education teachers.

The board voted 7-2 to send its $269.2 million general fund budget to Mayor L. Douglas Wilder and the City Council, who authorize the spending of city money on the schools and all other city agencies.

"Money can't buy love, but it can buy an education," said board member Evette L. Wilson, who supported the budget.

She said the proposed budget, up 3.6 percent from this year's spending plan, would not meet every need. But she called it a good start and said it marked an opportunity to woo support from the city's other political leaders.

"The problem is it costs more just to do the same thing," said board member Kimberly Bridges, also speaking in favor of the budget. "There are tough calls; there is never enough money to address some of the needs."

But board member Carol A.O. Wolf said she opposed the budget, complaining: "The cuts have come from the bottom up rather than the top down."

She said she was disappointed that the board did not try to consolidate services with city government or do more to cut waste and administrative spending.

Board member Keith West, who also voted against the budget, said he thinks it failed because it closed no schools and did not cut the overall level of spending.

"Every year, children leave the system and the adults stay, collecting ever-larger paychecks to serve ever-fewer students," he said.

To pay for the increased spending, the school system is planning on a promised $8.3 million increase in state funds and an increase of $535,000 from the city.

The city's contribution is $132.6 million, the biggest chunk of the budget, followed by $106.6 million in state aid. Other revenue comes from the federal government and sales-tax collections.

To balance the budget, school officials decided against filling 20 middle and high school teacher openings.

They also changed an initial assumption about how much they would have to pay the Virginia Retirement System to fund retirement plans, an accounting fix that saves $1.9 million.
Contact David Ress at (804) 649-6051 or dress@timesdispatch.com.