Schools across the commonwealth are trimming their budgets where they can, even as they plead with county and city boards to provide more funds. Local government officials are left with the difficult task of balancing the needs of the schools -- and other departments -- with the urgent call to keep taxes low during the economic downturn.

Read more in your local press....

• Newport News Public Schools budget presentation draws little comment from City Council (Daily Press)
• Gloucester supervisors again hear pleas to tax more for schools (Daily Press)
• Pair say they can fix Beach budget minus tax hikes (The Virginian-Pilot)
• Good budget news in Roanoke Co. (The Roanoke Times)
• Lynchburg schools make job cuts official (The Lynchburg News & Advance)
• Fauquier School Board approves fiscal 2011 budget (The Free-Lance Star)
• [Fredericksburg] City schools may bypass layoffs (The Free-Lance Star)
• Spotsylvania may make up some state cuts  (The Free-Lance Star)
• Stafford schools mull step raises (The Freelance Star)
• Waynesboro School Board OKs $30M budget (The Staunton News Leader)
• Schools brace for $900,000 reduction from state (The Culpeper Star-Exponent)