Though there’s little chance the county will give school districts more money than last year, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools approved an optimistic budget.
The 2010-11 budget, approved Thursday by the school board, would require the county’s appropriation of funds per pupil to increase by $46.
With almost 100 more students than last year, that amounts to about $806,400. This budget also assumes state funding will not decrease further, Superintendent Neil Pedersen said.
The board’s best-case scenario budget was released with a list of potential reductions, including eliminating or making up to 62 full-time positions part-time.
Cuts on the list for consideration include reduction or elimination of several programs, among them:
-Eliminating elementary world languages and the middle school Chinese dual language program.
-Reducing middle school and high school athletics expenses.
-Eliminating fourth- and fifth-grade teacher assistants.
-Eliminating the Welcome Center or the Newcomer Center, programs that help new students with limited English skills adjust to school.
The budget includes money for three new high school teacher positions to focus on closing the achievement gap.
“The concern is that our high school administrators don’t have sufficient time to really, deeply address instructional issues in their schools.” Pedersen said.
County commissioners will vote on a budget at the end of June, and the state General Assembly, which already reduced the district’s discretionary funding by about $670,000, could further reduce the state’s two-year budget as late as August, Pedersen said.
Known state reductions have been anticipated through eliminating 20 third-grade teaching assistants, Pedersen said.
“Last year we planned for the worst-case scenario, which meant we issued between 75 and 100 nonrenewal letters to teachers, most of whom were hired back during the school year,” Pedersen said. “We decided it would be better to wait.
“That way fewer staff are threatened with losing their positions.”
County Commissioner Pam Hemminger said she expects county appropriations to be lower than last year.
“Sales tax revenues are down,” she said. “Motor vehicle revenues are down. Fees are down because there are fewer building projects. It’s going to mean hard decisions.”
If state or county funding come up short, Pedersen said the district could use a personnel reduction in force, which means the district would lay off teachers under contract.
The school district hasn’t used a personnel reduction in force for 20 years. For last year’s layoffs, instead of breaking contracts after renewal, contracts were simply not renewed.
The board recently revised the layoff policy, focusing on performance to decide which positions to cut. Previously, a list of potential factors, including seniority, was considered.
Pedersen said teacher performance would be measured by student scores on standardized tests, student grades and student and parent surveys.
Glenwood Elementary Principal Minnie Goins said schools are waiting for solid funding decisions to be made before reacting.
“It’s really hard to say how this will affect us at this point,” she said. “We still plan to provide the same quality of education to our students regardless of staffing.”
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
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Sunday, June 1, 2025
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