In a virtual April 28 meeting with local school district leaders, members of the Orange County Board of Commissioners said county revenue, which is projected to decrease due to COVID-19, won’t be enough to cover the districts’ budget requests.
At the meeting, the boards of Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and leaders from Durham Technical Community College presented their FY 2020-2021 budget requests.
County Manager Bonnie Hammersley presented potential effects of COVID-19 on county revenue, which included a loss of over $8.3 million compared to original budget projections.
Hammersley said the projected decreases, which included loss of sales, property and motor vehicle taxes, would be topped off by a $3.1 million loss due to the suspension of a previously proposed tax rate increase.
Dr. Bill Ingram, who is set to retire this June after more than 35 years of service at Durham Tech, including 12 years as president, said he expects the college may see an influx of new students and revenue due to a coronavirus-related economic downturn.
Ingram said the college’s successful transition at the start of the pandemic from a hybrid online-classroom to completely virtual experience is a clear indicator that it’s ready to take on additional students.
"The fact that we are nimble enough to move to an online environment increases our capacity," Ingram said in the meeting.
However, for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools, additional needs caused by the pandemic, which include hot spots for students without internet access as well as social and emotional services when students return to school, have forced the districts to modify their budget requests.
With the continuation and expansion budget, CHCCS' proposed budget would include a $501 increase in spending per pupil, an increase $180 larger than was proposed by OCS.
