Local Mechanicsville-Ashland
SERVING ALL HANOVER COUNTY COMMUNITIES
Volume 39, No. 21
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Richmond Suburban News
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COMMUNITY: R-MC celebrates life, legacy of Dr. King
SPORTS: Senior night plays to Hanover’s favor PAGE 15
PAGE 12
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Residents seek details on budget ROSLYN RYAN
Richmond Suburban News
PHOTO COURTESY OF DIVINE ASSIST
Representatives from the Ashland nonprofit Divine Assist celebrate with local officials after receiving $52,800 to support their efforts on behalf of local youth. Pictured in the first row, from left to right, are pastor Marcus Heffinger of the Ashland Church of God, Divine Assist board member Steve Geter, Ashland mayor Steve Trivett, Divine Assist president Wanda Farmer, Divine Assist vice president Derick Edwards, Divine Assist board member Suzette Jackson, volunteer Sharita Birden, Divine Assist board member Tina Rollins and volunteer Melissa Vaughn. Pictured in the second row are volunteer Everette Spindle, Divine Assist board chair James Quash, Ashland town council members Daniel McGraw and Anita Barnhart and vice mayor John Hodges.
Center is a divine calling
future home of Ashland’s Divine the Ashland Church of God, had Assist Youth Center, the thing been sitting vacant, its windows Of all the things that Wanda that stood out the most were the covered up. Farmer noticed as she toured the windows. building that would become the The building, which is owned by Please see DIVINE, Page 23 ROSLYN RYAN
Richmond Suburban News
Concerns about transparency and funding allocations dominated the discussion during a Jan. 24 public hearing on the Hanover County Public Schools’ proposed budget for fiscal year 2024. And while representatives from the school division, including administrators and teachers, praised the plan’s focus on supporting students both academically and emotionally and providing competitive pay and benefits for staff, several other speakers during the public comment period decried what they described as a lack of overall detail in the proposal. Mechanicsville resident Mindy Ruggiero told board members that she remains concerned about how federally funded resources that were included in recent years as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be funded once federal dollars run out. She also expressed deep concern over the
fact that school board members were not provided with a line item budget in advance of the public hearing, and said that the documents provided left residents “with more questions than answers.” “How could the board possibly make a decision without looking at long-term data?” she asked, joining a number of other residents who questioned why more detailed numbers were not included. The week before, on Jan. 17, Hanover County Public Schools’ superintendent Michael Gill had presented the division’s initial proposed budget for fiscal year 2024 and explained that Hanover residents will have several opportunities to offer feedback on the spending plan, which, at $309,703,130, represents a $32,129,62, or 11%, increase over the fiscal year 2023 plan. Addressing the school board after the public comment period Please see BUDGET, Page 8
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