[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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",6273082,"mediaKeyId","3005284-45454edf272cacff37e323379e51624d","parentId",3005284,"title","Cabarrus County Board of Education approves 2025-26 budget after debate over staffing and revenue pressures","audioSeconds",2655,"startMs",4555000,"endMs",7210000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3005284-45454edf272cacff37e323379e51624d&start=4555&end=7210","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3005284-45454edf272cacff37e323379e51624d/thumbnail_4555000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6273082/North-Carolina/Cabarrus-County-Board-of-Education-approves-2025-26-budget-after-debate-over-staffing-and-revenue-pressures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6273082-600cb10a8e03978cb72938100b1b4748/orig.mp4?Expires=1771000405&Signature=cae8IDRdoe1daamQ4ZAThKFzJbKmlZI0BFId~VCBC6v3UhJdXCXebMVP8ecsK4pnymwmDQSSANvVXDJYssNly8bu5vNbUAlYyxXWqw~WMNrmQsZ~q3U~K0Utr-9MuYSE5yjjKIUJG6DiEOMpb4LziSHhSeg25RzxhdtZH8c6H874fZ1vlYQTmMxlkVdygyM8DS2LuDlA~VvL1EaGUQTGj~495N5fzwgKEKhr~XV-4tVai6Il9atscCe3xOnEaN4DvBJ5BzmSWPm-K5xeVdBXt0fpsIClnDENUGXAdsCHGKKj2AwsSenjDPTbBzd2KHOEV0V5GDTTeip~xWdll~JQqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-16T08:12:11.35Z","article","The Cabarrus County Board of Education voted to approve the proposed 2025-26 budget on April 14 after more than an hour of presentation and discussion about revenue declines and staffing allotments.

Board members and staff framed the budget as three linked pieces — a continuation budget, a small expansion request and capital funding — and said the school system will present the approved plan to the county commissioners the next day. Board members repeatedly emphasized that staffing is the district’s top priority.

Chief points in the discussion included projected drops in discretionary revenue sources, delays in Medicaid reimbursement and a notable reworking of locally funded staffing. “We are currently owed about $2,000,000 from the state,” said the staff presenter in outlining revenue risks tied to Medicaid paperwork. Staff said fines/forfeiture and investment income are also lower than previously forecast and that indirect cost recovery for federal grants has fallen compared with the current year.

Board members focused on a decision in the proposed continuation budget to consolidate roughly 60 locally funded positions. Board member Pam Escobar said the change represents “a sacrifice” and warned the reductions place additional work on remaining staff. “Cutting those 60 positions ... our other people who are working will have to pick up whatever slack is missing,” Escobar said. District leadership responded that the allotment process looked for retirements, temporary roles and other places where duties could be consolidated and stressed there would be no immediate layoffs. \"Everyone's keeping their job,\" Superintendent John Kopicki said, adding that the reductions reflect consolidations and reallocation of duties rather than terminations.

Administrators also described capital priorities and equipment replacement plans that informed the budget request. Staff identified major capital items carried forward in the long-term facilities plan, including a new elementary school and a high-school replacement, and flagged recurring equipment needs such as student device refreshes and camera/intercom replacements.

Several board members asked how the budget would change if county commissioners provided less funding than requested. Staff said the board’s decision today preserves the district’s ability to present a single plan to the county and to return to the board if commissioners’ decisions require revisions. The board approved the budget by voice vote; staff will brief the county commissioners the following day.

The vote ends the board’s review cycle and moves budgeting discussion to the commission level; the district will continue to track enrollment and adjust allotments if actual student counts differ from projections.

Votes and next steps: The board voted to approve the 2025-26 budget as presented; administrators said the approved plan will be delivered to Cabarrus County commissioners at their next meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","CCS Board of Education Business Meeting/Adoption of Proposed 2025-26 Budget | Monday, April 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Cabarrus County Board of Education voted to approve the proposed 2025-26 budget on April 14 after lengthy debate about revenue shortfalls, delayed Medicaid reimbursements and a plan to consolidate roughly 60 locally funded positions.","taxTitle","Cabarrus County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14086,"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},6273076,"Votes at a glance: budget, legal counsel extension, tuition, cameras, attendance policy and calendar",2073,7495000,9568000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3005284-45454edf272cacff37e323379e51624d&start=7495&end=9568","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3005284-45454edf272cacff37e323379e51624d/thumbnail_7495000.jpg","/articles/6273076/North-Carolina/Votes-at-a-glance-budget-legal-counsel-extension-tuition-cameras-attendance-policy-and-calendar","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6273076-85a7372a5db05654e1b1603c4d2ae58f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771000405&Signature=kIavB2KujK7NRQEPM0VX~dD179i70UvSWLyasF~u~zkQstXaLhlEAAJD6y1I3lvRlgINU9QuhQrYW3U3IcyGW-eSs9ywHoXYLO1QZhpS-TmN0oVg8T8b7vWB0vCyKurt4gpstcqhZRQ--8w0y7pxGqdGUGnWTi-1cYa7TshFmesaTEpFa8wnNGW5lNQvhP2fqAh8l9VN-hMojQZwvVFZfGuOU9E8IP5d6Zdpov91OMs1YdTSyvZiWfSQ97Jnz7~W~L7a5~OwgAClzWGp0Njd3gX~~p6LnYRAjRwEIoiM7UkhHL~xuP0zBmZb4UCsFTMOUB2Ccr0wLQYlONi8LX-7aA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cabarrus County Board of Education handled several formal votes on April 14. The most consequential action was approval of the 2025-26 budget (see separate article). The board also took the following formal actions.

Votes at a glance

- Legal counsel: The board voted to continue its current legal counsel engagement through June 30, 2026. The board’s legal affairs committee recommended extending the existing arrangement with the current firms; staff said invoices are now provided with more itemized detail and staff members reported confidence in responsiveness and expertise. Motion and second recorded; vote approved by voice.

- Mary Frances Wall tuition: The board approved a planned tuition increase schedule for Mary Frances Wall early-childhood program covering the next three years (the motion approved an increase as presented for 2025–2027). Administrators said the adjustment would keep program tuition well below market rates while addressing a projected operating shortfall.

- Capital outlay — cameras and servers: The board approved a capital outlay purchase for camera and server equipment to refresh aging security cameras and server hardware. Staff said the vendor warranty covers five years for camera equipment and servers and that a cloud-based option was more expensive than replacing on-premises equipment.

- Attendance policy (policy 4400): The board approved a first reading of proposed changes to policy 4400 to align the district’s middle-school excessive-absence definition with state statute. Staff cited North Carolina General Statute 115C-378 in the discussion.

- Board calendar: The board approved the proposed 2025-26 meeting calendar with one adjustment (the first July meeting moved from the holiday week to July 14).

- Invocation policy referral: The board voted to refer a proposal to add an invocation to regular meetings to the policy committee so the committee can draft a recommended policy for future board consideration. The motion directs the policy committee to draft guidelines addressing nondiscrimination, procedure and legal risk before returning the proposal to the full board.

Where the record is silent on roll-call tallies: Several of these items were approved by voice vote in open session; the meeting transcript records ayes and noes but does not include a line-by-line roll-call tally. For items requiring more detail or formal contracts, the board appears to require staff to complete follow-up steps (purchase orders, vendor warranties, schedule publication and legal engagement letters).","At its April 14 meeting the Cabarrus County Board of Education approved the 2025-26 budget and several additional items by voice vote, including an extension of existing legal counsel, a multi-year tuition change for the Mary Frances Wall program, capital camera/server replacements, a first reading of an attendance policy update and a referral of an invocation policy to the policy committee.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6273072,"Public commenter tells board she was underpaid and urges review of salary-study findings",186,3862000,4048000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3005284-45454edf272cacff37e323379e51624d&start=3862&end=4048","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3005284-45454edf272cacff37e323379e51624d/thumbnail_3862000.jpg","/articles/6273072/North-Carolina/Public-commenter-tells-board-she-was-underpaid-and-urges-review-of-salary-study-findings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6273072-009c348fb2871cfd4e9c0367fa48317a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771000405&Signature=kcxafOUk3XN425YhqjF7nUx~9ggrXkS~aYy1-JY3Ukxxm~-8B6-jWe47B5hqnBA5RhX4D~aip2wXLFozHlj3C8T7VOK-ONccJE77a6F5uMD6f03qnBQWFMsPsA4rjFD5gth1OZKgI8JriqIUXW~hoYIN2eY0964Pl6fSHzu2T0IVpxn-nYPF7Pt5e62dcLNViuBoN5e1GTTp4PnkYmIlBybaZhLqqJngFSed2pZkO8a0AjX2LvVgxhw6~RyZOCbwErNrupxRNPL39sOOUeDQEyJb4lyP-CHzL-sLfgIfr7-uPcprtYuUe0K0Nfua-MERfiu4SCySqNe3l59SlZkTjQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the start of the public comment period Chantelle Berry used her allotted three minutes to ask the board to investigate a perceived salary disparity tied to the district’s salary study. Berry said she served as a principal in Cabarrus County Schools from 2022 to 2024 and that she was “grossly underpaid” during that time.

\"I stand here before you, to implore you to please look into the salary study that was ...affected me directly,\" Berry said, adding that she raised the issue with district administrators and the superintendent without receiving correction. Berry said she had requested her contract and that an employment contract arrived only after repeated requests.

Berry told the board she had asked to speak earlier and submitted materials by certified mail; she asked the board to accept documents for distribution to the members. The chair asked staff to accept the materials and pass them to board members.

Board members did not take immediate action on the request during the meeting; the item was recorded in the public comment section and the board moved forward with its agenda.","During public comment Chantelle Berry urged the board to investigate pay disparities identified in a district salary study and said she was underpaid during two years she served as a principal. She said she raised the issue with district administrators and requests answers and documentation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Cabarrus County Board of Education approves 2025-26 budget after debate over staffing and revenue pressures

Votes at a glance: budget, legal counsel extension, tuition, cameras, attendance policy and calendar

Public commenter tells board she was underpaid and urges review of salary-study findings