[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":55,"_73":55},"mediaId",6280830,"mediaKeyId","2610574-95bdb26b229def195770c7dd50141e4b","parentId",2610574,"title","Board agrees to forward joint Article 39 letter outlining $34M–$40M at-risk projects","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",3742000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2610574-95bdb26b229def195770c7dd50141e4b&start=3742&end=3742","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2610574-95bdb26b229def195770c7dd50141e4b/thumbnail_3742000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6280830/North-Carolina/Board-agrees-to-forward-joint-Article-39-letter-outlining-34M40M-at-risk-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280830-b968e5dc8be7cad46208bb66df6c885d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176821&Signature=RwZnB7PkE8ufYq8WXo57HHAKxY-zKlK6A90CYuy1nPuUEnd1eIs-rXRVA~kDQHGUvyZHUR2kcbU~R-lIe11LrDeLLVhHHG2z~QLQetxnik3AowcuXEcu7CjghHknq~nXy7E5dlIhWQeaTMrEBLYxD4Q-mnJK~BJV9SS5kAJf4k7r24fVl~unLCjT2RiOrz9WvD8NFzJzxOXRCYd-kd8WeYRjE-bt~L3KQUuW5vQt2O0-Xdga8~Vme71NI9SprYqKt1L5sxvXVGrClVUYOCJDB71lL4nuY44-2TEclvS3czWu02AzHIzVnPgB9ui5zi~YB7eM75EPtZHyG4sPMGo0rg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-13T23:02:25.07Z","article","Buncombe County Schools board members on March 13 gave consensus to forward a joint letter with a partner district about the potential impact of Article 39 changes on capital projects, staff said.

Chairman Elliott said the districts had agreed on joint language and that the partner district’s board approved an amended version that added additional capital projects. Staff summarized the letter’s examples and potential impacts: approximately $34 million to $40 million of projects that rely on Article 39 tax revenues could be delayed or halted. Projects listed as examples include replacing roofs in poor condition, fire alarms and mechanical systems, asbestos removal, fire suppression systems, ADA compliance, restroom upgrades and securing school entryways.

Staff asked the board for consensus to forward the letter to county commissioners and the local delegation; no formal roll-call vote was recorded and the chair said he would follow up by sending the letter. \"I'll seek consensus among all of you as well to go ahead and forward this letter on to the commissioners and the delegation,\" Elliott said; board members asked for the list to be sent to them and raised no substantive objections.

Administrative business: The board also approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and later moved to adjourn by voice vote. The chair called for the vote on the agenda: \"Any opposed?\" and recorded, \"Yes. Motion carries. The agenda has been approved.\" At the end of the meeting the chair accepted a motion to adjourn; he again called the voice vote and said, \"Motion carries. The meeting is adjourned.\"

Ending: Staff said they would circulate the finalized joint letter and follow up individually with board members; the chair planned to transmit the letter to county commissioners and the local delegation promptly.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Buncombe County Schools Board of Education Work Session - 3/13/25","oneSentenceSummary","Buncombe County Schools and a partner district finalized a joint letter about Article 39 revenues and agreed to forward it to county commissioners and the local legislative delegation; the letter lists $34 million to $40 million of capital projects at risk, including roofs, mechanical systems and ADA upgrades.","taxTitle","Buncombe County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",13012,"location","North Carolina","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":55,"_73":55},6280833,"Board briefed on state momentum for weighted student funding and potential budget impacts",1136,2645000,3781000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2610574-95bdb26b229def195770c7dd50141e4b&start=2645&end=3781","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2610574-95bdb26b229def195770c7dd50141e4b/thumbnail_2645000.jpg","/articles/6280833/North-Carolina/Board-briefed-on-state-momentum-for-weighted-student-funding-and-potential-budget-impacts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280833-f35ea329cd9ab7dc490ee0aa7dc8a27d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176821&Signature=KGvrdrjHxnvKWJ~Fc0g4t7KQDHFs9SxyEWvdiWvmXroTLhpHXRuYz6aJvdrxV30geO9a260E-ivESv0v837cUv3EhGjdbxvOXlsYU5G1qAbOtgEqjfORXqiCNWaShNdTI4vXkeUl9wUty7whn5FmAjS78ajK6fN69VvUk8VlnGGzLKU~Zm5enOnTdHlb0EkrnU4g-uFD6ySiNJUUQeGrYPeb1k9dF1y-Zj7Oe9ARuI0LLBH-hMevlTQvOsTr5qhxua885q57JGdTN1X1jEVIusNtXBjJ3rzjGEf5LNvOYfyy5hAch4F884G2kAWFcFlWEiUhNkKY6ZWfcmVrggDk8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Buncombe County Schools leaders told the Board of Education on March 13 that North Carolina may move toward a weighted student funding model and that such a change could materially affect district budgets.

Superintendent Dr. Jackson and Chief Financial Officer Tina Thorpe described the state discussion and said models adopted elsewhere required large increases in base funding to work as intended. \"If we simply change the formula without adding the funding, then we risk actually losing funding,\" Jackson said, summarizing lessons staff heard from Tennessee and Mississippi.

Thorpe explained weighted student funding as a formula that begins with a base per-pupil amount and adds weights for students with additional needs—examples include economically disadvantaged students and tiers within special education. Staff noted 41 states now use student-based funding and that North Carolina is one of the few that does not.

Examples and cautions: The district highlighted Tennessee’s transition (adopted 2022, implemented 2023-24) and Mississippi’s more rapid rollout (adopted April 2024, implemented July 2024). Presenters said both states increased total funding when they switched: Tennessee added roughly $1 billion to its base funding and Mississippi added about $240 million, according to the presentation staff shared with the board. Staff emphasized the need to raise the base funding in parallel with any weighting change.

Data and administrative burden: Officials said effective implementation requires improved data collection to describe student needs precisely. Dr. Jackson noted a superintendent from another state reported their district was initially underfunded because it had not submitted the level of student data the formula required. Board members asked how the formula would identify economically disadvantaged students; staff said potential metrics include direct certification, free-and-reduced-price meal data and Census statistics but that specifics would be determined by state legislation or rule.

Transition protections and timing: Staff said some states used hold-harmless periods (one or more years) to protect districts that could lose funding from abrupt transitions. The timeline in North Carolina is uncertain, staff said, but they flagged the issue as a potential game changer for the district’s 2025-26 budget planning if legislation moves in the long session.

Ending: Board members asked about annual data frequency and how budget volatility from events such as hurricanes would be handled. Staff recommended continued engagement with state stakeholders and monitoring of proposed bills so the district can adjust budgeting assumptions and data processes if the state moves forward.

","Superintendent Jackson and finance staff updated the board on state-level discussion about shifting to a weighted student funding formula and warned that any change requires substantial new funding to avoid disadvantaging some districts.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":55,"_73":55},6280838,"Buncombe schools outline districtwide position-allotment plan; custodial formula pilot completed",2001,784000,2785000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2610574-95bdb26b229def195770c7dd50141e4b&start=784&end=2785","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2610574-95bdb26b229def195770c7dd50141e4b/thumbnail_784000.jpg","/articles/6280838/North-Carolina/Buncombe-schools-outline-districtwide-position-allotment-plan-custodial-formula-pilot-completed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280838-7f1c98baa85f73be76ffb48c25792828/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176821&Signature=Mc9urC8J2MaYNLnlLlJjAnMp3uF8ULK0cJLmJFUwVP6rlzjt9PjOC24G5sWzOZrIE2KmqaeqAN-GNn0rHZ1jVqkN-X8G~E8ajJ7EWh7lyn~PS9I360Bu3IZOP9DSiwuxJJ6wsAah-LWXmHFqUz34OXrXOLrW~8kBxznnVzO57R4~UMdX-ZIY~gMry0YAbc96eSyWJXFaxnI4~9yfsAfy6eaAgKvfoE5ycNSSgpH-tAgMvAnMv0CNhTmRY2Rs3z5JrtATZdRzEgpfTxPT4dNoSGF0PWCiV6~29jRXmAB6BHsM6R38bixDtlFi6jIIDBPrw0rJIM6Xxbo1afLN-lYlow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Buncombe County Schools staff told the Board of Education on March 13 that they are building a districtwide position-allotment manual to allocate staff by formula and to increase transparency, equity and budget predictability.

The manual will hold formula-driven allotments for roughly 40 positions, district Chief Financial Officer Tina Thorpe said, with the goal of completing formulas by December 2025 and implementing them in the 2026-27 school year. \"These allotment formulas will be housed in a BCS allotment manual, which will be reviewed and published on an annual basis,\" Thorpe said.

The district presented the allotment project as an internal, standardized way to assign positions to sites and departments rather than a change to state allotments. Thorpe said the work builds on examples from other North Carolina systems and national standards and is intended to make staffing decisions objective and auditable.

District staff described the process as four steps: inventory current staffing rationale; research external practice and legal requirements; decide whether to change allotments and what data the formula needs; and publish a one-page allotment summary for each position. Luke Rose, the district's financial quantitative analyst and project manager, built an \"acuity tool\" that pulls data sources such as NCDPI records and facility blueprints into the new formulas.

Custodial formula pilot: The board heard details about the pilot change for custodians, the first position the district rewrote. The new BCS custodian formula uses six variables: average daily membership (ADM), number of teachers in the building, number of classrooms used, total building square footage, community use, and a supplement for schools with fewer than 450 students. The district combined local research, a California calculation model and industry guidance from the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) to design the formula.

Thorpe and maintenance staff said the pilot addressed perceived shortcomings with the system's 2019 square-footage allotment and accounted for groundskeeping work moved to a centralized position. Clark White and Rachel Bryant from facilities participated in the pilot, Thorpe said. The district showed an example where one school could gain seven months of custodial employment while another could lose about 4.25 months under the new formula; officials clarified those figures refer to months of employment for the school year.

Phasing and personnel effects: Board members pressed staff on how allotment changes would affect employees. Thorpe and Superintendent Dr. Jackson said the district intends to move positions, not people, and to rely on attrition where possible to avoid involuntary reassignments. \"We're trying to make sure we're also very thoughtful with our employees,\" Jackson said, noting geographic and operational considerations.

Scope and timing: As of March 13, staff reported 23 of the 40 positions had been completed. The district expects to finish the remaining formulas by December 2025 and start enacting changes in the 2026-27 school year; some positions for which work is complete (for example, custodians and assistant principals) are expected to be reflected in the 2025-26 budget planning, the district said. A stakeholder committee will review formula-generated allotments and hear principals' requests for exceptions.

Board members asked about instructional allotments. Dr. Reid (working with finance) and Thorpe said curriculum- and instruction-related formulas will include metrics appropriate to those roles—examples cited included counts of students with exceptional needs such as EC (exceptional children) populations or multilingual learners (ML). Luke Rose is building similar acuity tools for each position group.

Why this matters: District leaders framed the manual as a mechanism to make staffing more equitable and to provide the county and community with clearer justifications for budget requests. Thorpe said formula-driven allotments will make it easier to model the budget earlier and to align county funding requests with staffing needs.

What's next: The district will continue a phased rollout, maintain stakeholder committees to vet allotments, and publish the manual annually. Staff said an appeal process would permit principals to request additional allotments for unique building circumstances, with committee review and a cabinet recommendation for budget implications.

Ending: Board members had multiple questions but offered general support for the project’s transparency and equity goals. Staff will return with additional formulas and follow-up at future budget work sessions.

","Buncombe County Schools staff updated the Board of Education on a multi-year project to standardize how positions are allocated to schools, including a new six-variable custodian formula piloted with facilities staff. The district expects full implementation in the 2026-27 school year, with some positions phased into the 2025-26 budget.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board agrees to forward joint Article 39 letter outlining $34M–$40M at-risk projects

Board briefed on state momentum for weighted student funding and potential budget impacts

Buncombe schools outline districtwide position-allotment plan; custodial formula pilot completed