10-05-2026 10:17am

Election 2026: County Bond #1

John Williams Editor

Courtesy of the Spotsylvania Gazette

Bond Question 1: $237.3 Million for Spotsylvania Schools

Spotsylvania County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to authorize $237,278,605 in general-obligation bonds for public schools. It is the first of four county bond questions on the ballot; each passes or fails on its own. Early voting runs through Oct. 31.

The question as it appears on the ballot:

"Shall the County of Spotsylvania, Virginia (the "County") contract a debt and issue its General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds in the maximum amount of Two Hundred Thirty-Seven Million Two Hundred Seventy-Eight Thousand Six Hundred Five Dollars ($237,278,605) to provide funds, together with other available funds, to undertake a program of Capital Improvement Projects for the Spotsylvania County Public Schools, including without limitation (1) the acquisition of real property for future public school sites, construction and equipping of new public schools and additions and renovations to existing public schools; (2) public school capital maintenance purposes, including HVAC and roof replacements, asphalt/sidewalk construction and replacement, and other capital maintenance projects; (3) school transportation purposes including acquisition of new and replacement school buses; (4) school technology purposes including upgrades to and replacements of existing equipment; and (5) acquisition, construction and equipping or rehabilitation of such other capital school assets as may be required to address the actual educational needs of the residents of the County?"

What it would fund: $184.5 million for capital maintenance and additions — HVAC and roof replacements, classroom additions, and a new $84 million elementary school on the Route 1 corridor; $28.6 million for technology upgrades and security; $24.2 million for 123 buses, including special-needs and Head Start buses.

What it costs the taxpayer: a net 3.6 cents per $100 of assessed value — about $144 a year on a $400,000 home — after $14.6 million in old school debt rolling off is factored in. The county notes this reflects peak-year debt service, not an annual tax increase, and the supervisors set the actual tax rate each year.

How it got on the ballot: the School Board voted 6-0 in May to request the referendum; the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously May 26 to set the $400.6 million four-question package; the circuit court ordered it onto the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

The case for

County and school officials say the schools bond is the cheapest way to clear a facilities backlog the division can't defer. Bonds are "the least expensive way for the county to tackle major projects," said county Chief Financial Officer Beckie Forrie: they are "repaid over the useful life of the project, spreading the cost equitably among current and future taxpayers," and put "less stress on our annual budget compared to cash funding our projects." Spotsylvania holds a AAA bond rating — one of about 50 localities nationwide — which schools CFO Phillip Trayer said "translates to the lowest possible financing that we can get."

The urgency, supporters say, is an emptying pipeline. Voters approved $206.8 million five years ago; $127.9 million went to renovating four schools, and by fiscal 2028 about $37 million in borrowing authority will remain, already committed to the Marshall Community Center's special-education conversion, work at Chancellor High and Middle, expansions at Thornburg and Ni River Middle, and the Spotsylvania Middle renovation. Superintendent Clint Mitchell cites overcrowding — "the bigger need for us as a district right now is addressing the overcrowding in our schools, particularly where we have the highest growth, which is the Route 1 corridor."

The case against

No organized opposition exists, but the skeptics are vocal. "Let's keep our taxes low… hold the government accountable for them spending money," said Supervisor Tim McLaughlin, adding "school funding deserves extra scrutiny because it makes up more than half of the county's overall budget." A citizen petition links the $400 million package to the county's $5 million purchase of New Post soccer fields on land assessed at $1.34 million — it seeks an attorney general investigation — and argues residents "are being asked to approve more than $400 million in bonds… that our tax dollars should already cover," debt "that must be repaid with interest." Online, residents asked "What exactly is the breakdown of this?" and said data centers "should have ponied up more money."

The sharpest criticism came from inside. School board member Larry DiBella's motion to prioritize a career-tech center over the elementary school failed 5-1: "Once we build the new CTE, we automatically have an empty building, meaning the building it's currently in. We already own the property we could build our new CTE center on." He questioned the process — "obviously someone has made that decision since January, is my concern." Member Rich Lieberman proposed expanding Courtland into the old CTE building — "super Courtland" — instead of a $154 million high school.

The decision

The facts are above. The choice is yours — during early voting through Oct. 31, or Nov. 3 at the polls.

Voters: share your comments below, or leave any questions you have about this bond.