[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":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,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6094371,"mediaKeyId","2844396-7fcc479899f9a5c848d5f5ac8518cf1a","parentId",2844396,"title","Superintendent presents 2025–26 budget request seeking roughly $27.7 million in additional local funding; board receives recommended submittal","audioSeconds",932,"startMs",2979000,"endMs",3911000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2844396-7fcc479899f9a5c848d5f5ac8518cf1a&start=2979&end=3911","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2844396-7fcc479899f9a5c848d5f5ac8518cf1a/thumbnail_2979000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6094371/North-Carolina/Superintendent-presents-202526-budget-request-seeking-roughly-277-million-in-additional-local-funding-board-receives-recommended-submittal","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094371-6c81de7d2fd905d539a2f5665becc6b3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770855119&Signature=N-NnGdoFTNtx17jePUIlGViSO8QQ~Rf1kqsd9LNBdBawQt4jSsOsLg2mSeH6H~MfVGyqaQ20wyWyHaYYTFKKXQmH4OFTaA4RTuGyZ9wz9D8~lCTYno-n~U7h23ZjK6Kohi3R4ByhdE6ZsenhwQekcVDlI5QIRcm0FDFuz5pvepx-gfJzv2-cAeerz39TvNJj0ZBQts-T-8YDLFsFrQAqz1YWgYNhQfXncYHdvei3RU5OMtIUu~YX2Fwx5KUa4CTfAC8KMG7YL0V5Kuf520YXXm4qv5SuYOHvle3UqC-Wt5xKf02U-k8MvcRHmXbgNjIcTbvcwENWqbrhXjK~aXP95Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-02T08:10:38.7Z","article","Superintendent Andrew G. Houlihan presented a superintendent’s budget recommendation for the 2025–26 school year at the April 1 Union County Board of Education meeting, asking the county and state for additional funds to maintain operations and expand district services.

Houlihan said the district does not yet have updated county revenue figures because Union County is completing a property revaluation; those numbers were expected at a joint board meeting with county commissioners on April 10. He told the board the budget proposal presented that evening did not include projected local revenue from the county and that final adoption will occur at the May board meeting.

Key elements of the recommendation include continuing investments in employee compensation (including teacher supplements), programmatic improvements, inflationary adjustments, and classroom supports. District staff projected mandated increases and base funding needs of $3,967,862 to maintain operations. The proposal also listed $14,161,395 in additional needs (market adjustments, recruiting, added nursing positions, expanded school‑year positions for certain data/bookkeeping staff and program continuations), and capital needs of $28,924,602 primarily for facilities maintenance and technology replacement. Combined, staff described a total additional funding request of $27,718,784 to support operating and capital plans.

Specific figures mentioned in the presentation include:

- A proposed $2,000 increase to local teacher supplements, which staff estimated would cost approximately $7,600,000 and could move the district closer to a higher state funding rank if other districts’ actions remained unchanged.

- The district added a $2,000,000 item in the discussion but clarified the actual proposed teacher supplement increase shown would cost $7.6 million.

- Current local operating appropriation from the county was listed as roughly $130,000,000, with a total county appropriation (including capital outlay) of $149,946,755.

- The district reported its charter school pass‑through obligation at a little over $13,000,000 and estimated a little over 5,000 students enrolled in charter schools for which local per‑pupil payments are made.

During Q&A, board members pressed staff for details about how the district’s state funding rank is calculated, the effect of supplement increases on that ranking, the charter enrollment figures driving pass‑through payments, and whether the budget assumed growth in enrollment. Staff said the district is now funded in arrears and that state allotments use varying formulas and a three‑tier wealth factor; staff also said they were using a flat 5% projection for some cost lines in the absence of a state budget.

After the presentation, a motion to receive the recommended budget submittal was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Ending: Staff will brief the board again at the joint meeting with county commissioners on April 10 with updated revenue figures; the board expects to adopt a final budget at its May meeting once state and county funding details are known.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Union County Public Schools Board of Education Meeting (April 1, 2025)","oneSentenceSummary","Superintendent Andrew G. Houlihan presented a superintendent’s budget recommendation that requests an estimated $27,718,784 in additional local funding for 2025–26 to maintain operations, raise teacher supplements and address capital needs.","taxTitle","Union County Public Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14185,"location","North Carolina","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6094375,"Students, families urge Union County Public Schools to bar ICE operations on school grounds",1928,948000,2876000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2844396-7fcc479899f9a5c848d5f5ac8518cf1a&start=948&end=2876","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2844396-7fcc479899f9a5c848d5f5ac8518cf1a/thumbnail_948000.jpg","/articles/6094375/North-Carolina/Students-families-urge-Union-County-Public-Schools-to-bar-ICE-operations-on-school-grounds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094375-806623ac5a689d05dc1c2fc679b2545f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770855119&Signature=Md7tuNE33yh6nZmrKK-cUg4TF-nYH17Udd61wBqaMzaUBBr-EcFnHeuuV4LCY6nDo0jD9-aZmLFwe-iSINGvDZPIwdrebiV5D7aqg9MAcnLZ9OjrKhngcKIeKZq8LOecS9fjgWM~R1t1fIEOz7ak3~mJML349VfPr0GD0XNJk75HnRm8iAKBUPheD2wiNDzgtUwbFx41yqJBs~hdfN3YuL0vEwzzGILNa2BZvP~PFNGLlVz5yKz-W4n1B7JLpksvPvp7tI8M8p4UIAlEis7ABWcaS1-MFfrMxYzT0lilTliWwbxYw5P3acSOzE4FeONKuoaQh7I~JB~2fEr6PuzhVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several students, parents and community members told the Union County Board of Education on April 1 that they want the district to adopt a policy refusing collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying raids or enforcement on school grounds would make students feel unsafe and disrupt learning.

The plea came during the board's public‑comment period. Caitlin Breeder, a mother of three, said schools should be sanctuary spaces and quoted the district’s policy language about protecting student records and providing a safe learning environment. \"Schools should be places of safety and stability for every student,\" Breeder said, asserting that cooperation with ICE would undermine that standard.

Speakers said students at Monroe High School have staged walkouts over the issue and that some students and parents have reported intimidation by school administrators and local police when attempting to protest. Luna Portillo Delgado, a Monroe High student, told the board the school's low academic proficiency and resource shortfalls compound the problem and that students felt threatened when they tried to exercise their First Amendment rights.

Public‑health professional Dana Al Hassan and other commenters cited a recent change at the federal level, saying the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a policy memo that previously limited immigration enforcement at sensitive locations such as schools. \"With the rescission of this memo, students will all be put at risk of harm in the course of raids and arrests conducted in these sensitive locations,\" Al Hassan said.

Several speakers asked the board to issue an explicit district policy refusing ICE operations on school property, arguing that such a statement would protect students’ access to education under Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court decision guaranteeing public school access regardless of immigration status.

Board members responded to public comment. The board chair (name not specified in the record) said the district has not received any record of ICE raids at schools locally and urged speakers to avoid spreading unverified rumors. \"There is no record of anybody of any ICE coming into our schools and raiding our schools,\" the chair said, adding that district leaders would not impede lawful law‑enforcement work.

Several board members expressed support for students' right to protest and encouraged continued civic engagement. Other board members suggested the meeting record and public comments would inform any future action. The board did not vote on or adopt a policy on ICE cooperation during the April 1 meeting.

Ending: Speakers and students who raised the issue asked the board to act quickly; board members reiterated the district's commitment to student safety while saying there is no local record of ICE raids. The transcript shows public concern remains unresolved pending any formal district statement or policy action.","Multiple speakers at the April 1 Union County Board of Education meeting asked the district to adopt a formal non‑cooperation policy with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on school property, citing student safety, district policy, and a recent federal change affecting sensitive‑location enforcement.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Superintendent presents 2025–26 budget request seeking roughly $27.7 million in additional local funding; board receives recommended submittal

Students, families urge Union County Public Schools to bar ICE operations on school grounds