Stafford County officials said on May 4 that local volunteers helped the county save more than $1,700,000 in full-time staff costs last year by providing thousands of hours of service.
The county reports that these volunteers enable Stafford to offer enhanced services without raising expenses for taxpayers. Their efforts support daily operations at key locations such as the George L. Gordon, Jr., Government Center and the courthouse.
“Our volunteers perform everything from greeting and giving directions to folks to providing specialized knowledge to one of our many boards, committees and commissions,” said Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Deuntay Diggs. “Volunteers expand capacity, deepen community ties and make it possible to provide more services – at no additional cost to taxpayers.”
According to Stafford County, a total of 185 volunteers contributed 42,441 hours during the past year. This resulted in savings calculated by multiplying their hours by a volunteer rate set by the state’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Volunteers work in various roles including reception desk staffing, phone answering, ombudsman services at government offices, data entry support for traffic and transportation with the Sheriff’s Office, as well as clerical support at both Circuit and District courts.
The Customer Service Office oversees volunteer engagement through special events and a monthly newsletter while welcoming new applicants throughout the year.
In addition to volunteer contributions, Stafford County Public Schools District enrolled 31,700 students during the 2023-24 school year according to state education data. Brooke Point High School had the highest enrollment among all schools with 2,242 students as reported by Virginia Department of Education. White students made up nearly 39% (12,332) of district enrollment while Hispanic students accounted for about one-quarter (7,780) according to official statistics.
Enrollment across all county schools rose by 1.7% compared with last year’s total according to state records. Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers enrolled most pre-kindergarteners (292), representing over half those students in Stafford state figures show, while Rocky Run Elementary led kindergarten enrollment with 148 children or about seven percent countywide based on education department data.
