Hanover County officials broke ground in March on replacements for Battlefield Park and Beaverdam elementary schools. Both new buildings — set to be open for the 2026-27 school year — will take around 17 months to construct.
School district officials have plans to replace a handful of Hanover's aging school buildings over the next several years, but aren’t sure which schools should be built first.
Hanover’s Board of Supervisors met with the school board on March 26 to discuss the county's long-term building strategy ahead of a scheduled public hearing Wednesday where residents will weigh in on the county’s budget proposal. The budget is slated to take effect on July 1.
“Together we need to understand why we fund what we fund,” South Anna Supervisor Sue Dibble said at the March meeting. “At the end of the day, we have to support our budget when our constituents come and ask us questions, and I'm not sure that my board is able to answer that question at this time.”
Education is Hanover's largest single expenditure, representing around 39% of the county’s $413 million general fund proposal for fiscal year 2026 when considering operating cost, debt service and capital improvements.
Over the course of the next five years, Hanover plans to allocate around $140 million towards the school district’s capital improvements fund — with $90 million going to school replacements.
Replacing the county's aging facilities has been a priority since 2018, after the board commissioned a study to evaluate which schools needed to be replaced, renovated or demolished.
The board reached an early consensus for several school replacements — including consolidating two schools into Ashland Elementary, which opened its doors in the fall, and Washington-Henry Elementary, which was included in the school’s capital improvement plan for the current fiscal year.
School board members also identified several other priorities that they plan to reserve funds for in FY2026 — including expanding the Hanover Center for Trades and Technology, replacing Mechanicsville Elementary and building an additional school campus that has yet to be determined.
Beyond the upcoming fiscal year, the school district has plans to replace two elementary schools and two high schools by 2045. Mechanicsville and Patrick Henry high schools are the next two schools that have been recommended for replacement.
County supervisors questioned school board leaders — chair Bob May, vice chair Steve Ikenberry and Interim Superintendent Lisa Pennycuff — at the March meeting on how they reached their consensus.
Pennycuff told supervisors the decision “had to do with safety and security.”
Hanover’s school board also considered Elmont and Parsons elementaries before choosing Mechanicsville Elementary, according to Pennycuff. All three schools were built in the 1960s and are in similarly poor condition, but Mechanicsville’s needs were deemed more immediate, Assistant Superintendent Terry Stone said.
“There was a real strong focus on safety and security, and when we focused in on the pedestrian traffic, calls for service in the area of that particular school, I think that is where Mechanicsville just edged a notch up over the others,” Stone told the board. She added that Mechanicsville also had significant sewer issues.
However, as construction costs rise in response to inflation, Board chair Michael Herzberg said the county needs to be mindful about its spending.
“This isn't just schools,” Herzberg said during the meeting. “I hear from taxpayers. I hear from citizens and I'll say this as nicely as I can — I think the budget is growing too fast countywide.”
Herzberg said county staff and the school board should explore the possibility of repurposing old school facilities to lower costs — similar to the county's approach to the old Henry Clay Elementary campus.
The public budget hearing is scheduled for April 2. County Administrator John Budesky said supervisors will have a chance to review and make changes before the board votes on the budget proposal April 9.
