FRANKLIN—About a week after the General Assembly approved a lean budget for the 2011-2012 biennium, local school districts are working to iron out what the budget will mean for them.

While the budget includes cuts for public education, the blow could’ve been worse.

“Based on what we’re hearing, we’re in a better position than we were a month ago,” said Dr. Michelle Belle, superintendent of Franklin City Schools.

Local school leaders joined with others from across the state to protest the regularly scheduled update of the Local Composite Index, which would’ve meant less state funding for most school districts. However, lawmakers approved the index update with a “hold-harmless” provision for the 2011 fiscal year, meaning that schools that were set to lose money under the updated index would be funded at 100 percent of the loss.

For fiscal 2012, divisions will be funded at 50 percent of the loss in funding under the updated index.

Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) said she fought hard against unfreezing the index, which she said “would’ve caused damage beyond what you can imagine” in many school divisions.

The battle, she said, isn’t over yet.

“It only put a tourniquet on the bleeding. We’ve got to go back and fight that battle another day,” she said.

All three local public school divisions were waiting on more information from the state last week before making any adjustments in their budget proposals. That information came late Thursday evening.

Isle of Wight County Schools spokeswoman Katherine Goff said the division’s finance department has been reviewing the budget.

“We’re still working,” she said Wednesday, adding that the School Board has a work session scheduled for Thursday to discuss the budget further. The session is set to begin at 1 p.m. at the courthouse.

“It gives us time to get that better guidance from the state,” Goff said of the work session.

Southampton County Schools Superintendent Charles Turner said officials will be reviewing information with the School Board and making adjustments as necessary.

Belle said that Franklin officials “planned for the worst,” but it looks like cuts will be less severe.

“We’re definitely looking at some decreases in the deficit,” she said Thursday, adding that some actual numbers should be available very soon.

Late Thursday afternoon, the Virginia Department of Education sent a memo to school superintendents outlining the estimated effect of the approved budget, which cuts millions of dollars from education.

Lucas said she isn’t happy about the approved budget, but is pleased it includes fewer cuts than the one proposed by the House of Delegates.

Schools in Isle of Wight County are expected to see just over $26 million in total state funding in both FY2011 and FY2012, down from more than $30 million in FY2009, according to the Department of Education.

Southampton County Schools are expected to see about $16.8 million in total state funding in FY2011 and 16.7 million in FY2012, down from about $19.6 million in FY2009, according to the Department of Education.

Franklin City Schools are expected to see about $7.8 million in total state funding in FY2011 and about $7.6 million in FY2012, down from about $9.3 million in FY2009, according to the Department of Education.

However, the budget is still subject to review by Gov. McDonnell.