[{"_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",[32,76,88],{"_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":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6017513,"mediaKeyId","5775824-b3068f4eeb8dc82fc84ad67e98ee69c4","parentId",5775824,"title","Board committee prioritizes pre‑K restoration and staffing after Head Start loss and persistent shortages","audioSeconds",1679,"startMs",1171000,"endMs",2850000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5775824-b3068f4eeb8dc82fc84ad67e98ee69c4&start=1171&end=2850","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5775824-b3068f4eeb8dc82fc84ad67e98ee69c4/thumbnail_1171000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6017513/North-Carolina/Board-committee-prioritizes-preK-restoration-and-staffing-after-Head-Start-loss-and-persistent-shortages","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6017513-4c3ad5770ca093746d736b2fd9796cdb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771010921&Signature=BrPxNmSupVQvaF1F9t3eRfCRbB9b7Yx0C1BkO5mmrzT7RzvBhIjfzXegxayWPQd40q6ZphzTNE14~CJBjH97629Sy346NnsQJAJtadpaEOSNmqMuEpKHBBSCDXKBdFISM7lgTUuoqZzyCIcY37jp0NMV~2puQDclOWpfEHo8T4Cv2CwZw4OWqEpvz6g9wDVyfudOQT6sGOjgmHyzr9yZPVeZFKN467Wu7T1zI9lXtrKvA8M7HXNbEpQ6jXOTqrZU~qPqT0G04lNzoX5hkDv7ufSD4GFdPmb3WuT8k8xmKyXI8XDoNVwG37MCL~XDsFbj8aRzhmopNFsb-TNVUH4ksg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hanover County Schools","date","2025-08-08T05:41:07Z","article","Committee members identified early‑childhood services and staffing stability as the meeting’s top programmatic priorities. Multiple board members said restoring pre‑K capacity and pursuing a financially sustainable path to universal pre‑K for families with 3‑ to 5‑year‑olds should be a core district objective. Several members noted the loss of a Head Start grant and the need to examine multiple funding sources and partnerships.

Staff and board members flagged shortages of nurses, special education teacher assistants (EC TAs), bus drivers and certain classified positions as ongoing problems that affect day‑to‑day operations and student safety. Participants walked through recent EC TA allotment history the district provided: during ESSER funding years the district funded about 215 TA positions, funding later fell to about 150, a subsequent reallocation raised the number to roughly 195, and the most recent count cited in the meeting was 186 EC TA positions. Board members said they want more adults in buildings to reduce burnout and support students with special needs.

Members also urged growth in career and technical education and dual‑enrollment offerings. Several speakers recommended expanding trades programming at high schools and strengthening dual‑enrollment pathways with Cape Fear Community College to provide alternate post‑secondary routes for students. The district described plans to contact families who returned from charter schools to ask why they came back and to use that information for recruitment and retention efforts.

Next steps: staff will continue work to stabilize pre‑K enrollment where feasible, pursue grant and endowment funding options to support staffing requests, and return with more precise staffing‑and‑funding scenarios for committee review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","NHCS Board of Ed. Finance Committee Meeting | Aug. 7, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Board members emphasized restoring and expanding pre‑K, addressing nurse and special‑education aide shortages, and growing career‑technical and dual‑enrollment programs as top priorities for the next year.","taxTitle","New Hanover County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14191,"location","North Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6017518,"Superintendent and staff outline fiscal picture: state mini‑budget, federal funds and enrollment will determine next steps",510,4026000,4536000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5775824-b3068f4eeb8dc82fc84ad67e98ee69c4&start=4026&end=4536","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5775824-b3068f4eeb8dc82fc84ad67e98ee69c4/thumbnail_4026000.jpg","/articles/6017518/North-Carolina/Superintendent-and-staff-outline-fiscal-picture-state-minibudget-federal-funds-and-enrollment-will-determine-next-steps","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6017518-bcc123647e8d9b1e0946edefc0fb1b98/orig.mp4?Expires=1771010921&Signature=TZWFyManq~oVqvConPyKnAJeJNXwrTaQrNpztSNl6l1Dff04i5DN9HO5aZWRKPZI8SJ6XK8gvU6Y2heY9-kszzYKtjdWLjhEJDsYHvxlHSe9Gik4YII8qoMYsXpGzr1Ej1yabsoIikOCJvSM4Q3WcazYjWMJbyxmfltG~OZ3mVlbq-QBQ-LKA2L6JbAsp~0QV7b9HNWB0G7BqTB9~iC-aTryUWWUcGcEukCnN26JoL5GlnKmbwPFfRVWhr--V0dHh1DxU3WoXLT-WG0s16rfoRdZGQm3TyQ9N34y159X1V4-6pwczDUP39ldaN2yr80NrQoYh8B7Wb5rrMIy7VyI~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District leadership updated the committee on the near-term fiscal outlook and identified several variables that will determine whether the district needs to request more county support.

School staff said the governor recently signed a short (mini) state budget that includes approximately a 1% step increase for staff; that outcome is smaller than the district’s conservative planning assumption of 3% for employee compensation. Federal Title funding for next year (Title I, II, III, IV) is expected to be released to the state and then to districts, but it had not yet been delivered to the district at the time of the meeting.

The group reviewed longer-term structural funding context cited in staff comments: the national average per‑pupil funding is $16,645 and the state‑level combined funding used in discussion was $11,777 per pupil, leaving an approximate difference of $4,868 per pupil. Using a round district enrollment referenced in the meeting, staff calculated a notional district shortfall in the hundreds of millions if state funding matched the national average; staff emphasized the point to contextualize why local bonds and county cooperation matter for capital and operating needs.

Staff also explained that enrollment counts affect funding timing: state allotments rely on fall enrollment measures (month 1 and 2/PMR) and the district will not know precise funding levels until those counts are locked. Separately, county staff noted that local sales tax has been flat since earlier pandemic rebounds, which limits county revenue growth relative to inflation and increases budgeting pressure.

Next steps: staff will monitor the arrival of federal funds, finalize compensation modeling once state guidance is final, and report back after fall enrollment counts are confirmed.","Staff reported a constrained financial picture: North Carolina remains below national per‑pupil funding, the governor signed a mini budget with a 1% step increase, federal Title funding is expected but not yet distributed, and enrollment counts will affect how much additional relief the district can find internally.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_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":74,"_75":74},6017524,"School committee narrows bond scope; seeks draft project list before October deadline",0,676000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5775824-b3068f4eeb8dc82fc84ad67e98ee69c4&start=676&end=676","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5775824-b3068f4eeb8dc82fc84ad67e98ee69c4/thumbnail_676000.jpg","/articles/6017524/North-Carolina/School-committee-narrows-bond-scope-seeks-draft-project-list-before-October-deadline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6017524-46f279af1ad8fcc8b6a9f3e29e6d9cc0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771010921&Signature=Eay18WzDdfGkKr2wmuAdwTVq-V7yb5bmcw0bW6MCTeo~2JSALz7a5DFtMNl3fPf3V2vL8fXduwp-NcSdzVRi4Q1sa0V8WGXLbeXJMG-8dNanB5KBbRcP9fxPfgxcLxsuTg13uDnqHSE4J0zdx1tjRocMIrqpbreGc7ViwL-3COofJUzcvRUFdA72QEzNmKExeV~ciIpeUx3PZwDQatgRuHlk1y467Fw0EPIkeQbq-YgWsKQJZdKiZDH0H9knEsV8PtZFvYiunHQr9EuooeoHWI5EiyrAM9KwrQf138qd1yojXhoHWo4sa9jVRpvokglxTKkW7HMJ698sx4pDkk9KXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the New Hanover County Schools bond and finance committee discussed an accelerated timeline to prepare a school capital bond proposal, emphasizing internal deadlines and the need for coordinated county staff support. Committee leadership asked members to produce a draft scope for projects this summer so staff can refine cost estimates ahead of an October window for an initial project list and a January 31 deadline for finalized project lists with dollar amounts.

The discussion centered on process and timing rather than final project selection. Committee members and staff agreed that the group must settle on a conceptual scope at the August meeting, then return in September with a more polished draft for the board to approve before county staff produce formal cost estimates. Staff indicated some flexibility for the October 31 target but said pushing past that date shortens the time available to develop accurate estimates before the January 31 cutoff.

Committee members raised practical concerns about scheduling and participation: the August 27 meeting falls near the start of school calendars for some principals, so virtual attendance would be offered; the group penciled in September 18 as a working session. Members also identified communications and public engagement as essential to any successful bond campaign and asked the group to prepare outreach plans concurrently with the scope list so the community can be informed well ahead of a public vote.

Background and next steps: County staff and school finance staff will continue to work with the committee on a draft project scope. The committee plans to reconvene in August and September to finalize a scope for formal presentation to the full school board prior to forwarding materials to county staff for cost estimating and scheduling.","The committee discussed schedules and deadlines for a proposed capital bond, set an internal goal to draft project scope in September and noted an October 31 target for a preliminary project list and a firm January 31 deadline for cost estimates.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board committee prioritizes pre‑K restoration and staffing after Head Start loss and persistent shortages

Superintendent and staff outline fiscal picture: state mini‑budget, federal funds and enrollment will determine next steps

School committee narrows bond scope; seeks draft project list before October deadline