Cumberland County Board of Education adopts $103 million-plus spending plan, directs majority of new money to employee pay

The Cumberland County Board of Education voted unanimously May 13 to adopt the superintendent's recommended budget request, a spending plan the district will forward to county commissioners that asks for a $14.1 million increase in local funding and directs the bulk of any new money to pay supplements for certified and classified staff.

Board members approved the budget after a presentation by district finance staff and a motion from Board Member West, seconded by Board Member Williams. The board did not register dissent during the formal vote.

The request asks county decision-makers to add $14,100,000 to the local appropriation and calls for a combination of state, county and fund-balance resources to cover next year’s spending. "The add, the request of an increase in our county appropriation is 14,100,000.0," the district presenter said during the budget briefing. The packet presented to the board included a proposed use of about $14,200,000 of the district's fund balance to help balance the coming year.

Why it matters: district leaders told the board that the plan is intended to make the system more competitive for staff by increasing teacher supplements and boosting classified supplements. The preliminary budget is built on the governor's proposed state budget but notes possible differences if the General Assembly adopts alternate amounts. The board's action sends the request to county leaders for their appropriation decision.

Key provisions and numbers: the district's request would allocate roughly $11.7 million of the $14.1 million increase to certified teacher supplements and $2.4 million to classified supplements. The proposal incorporates an assumed 3% state pay raise and a $1,000 employee bonus drawn from the governor's budget proposal; the Senate alternative referenced in the briefing would instead reduce the average teacher raise to about 2.1% and propose a $1,500 one-time bonus for all employees. The district also plans a permanent increase in the local classified supplement from 2% of salary to 6% under the proposal.

Budget tradeoffs discussed: to free local dollars for raises the district identified $2.72 million in reductions to central office budgets and roughly $700,000 in contracted services savings, including lower telecommunications costs after a recent audit, savings from a switch to MetroNet, and contracted grounds maintenance. The budget briefing also accounted for projected increases in utilities, insurance and substitute costs. As of June 30, 2024 the district reported about $51 million in total fund balance; the packet shows planned uses and restrictions that would leave a remaining unassigned balance after the proposed drawdown.

Board discussion and vote: Board Member West framed the package as a substantial investment in staff, saying this is the first time in his 23 years on the board the budget request exceeded $100 million. After questions, West moved to adopt the superintendent's recommended budget as the Finance Committee recommended; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

Next steps: the adopted request and accompanying budget booklet will be sent to the county for their review and appropriation decisions. County commissioners will determine the final local funding level when they set the county budget. The district noted that statutory reporting (referencing 115C-429 in the packet) requires submission of academic performance data alongside the budget.