“I feel like this is a step backward, because we’ve had some good collaborations between the city and School Board so far,” 1st District School Board member Liz Doerr said. “That being said, I really do believe we can’t let petty politics derail our forward momentum.”

Reached by phone Sunday, a spokesman for Stoney said the mayor was committed to working hand-in-hand with the School Board and the City Council.

The prospect of a surplus was noted far down in budget presentations made to the School Board, but board members said they were not aware of the extent of the savings.

School Board member Scott Barlow, who represents the 2nd District, said he did not know how much money the board was projected to have until he read about it in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“We knew about this in concept, as most organizations end the year with some cushion, but not the amount,” he said. “I was frustrated.”

Doerr agreed.

“As a board member, I would expect to be notified,” she said. “It was frustrating not to have a full accounting of the funds.”

Those savings come mostly from employee turnover and historically have gone toward covering unforeseen expenses.