Moore County Schools board approves preliminary 2025–26 budget, K–5 literacy materials and schedule; denies former member’s legal‑defense request

The Moore County Schools Board of Education at its April 2025 meeting approved a proposed preliminary $165,806,080 budget for fiscal year 2025–26, approved K–5 core literacy instructional materials and the district’s standard school‑day schedule for the 2025–26 school year, and voted to deny a former board member’s request for legal defense, the board recorded.

The vote on the proposed preliminary budget passed 6–1. The budget presented to the board projects total revenues and appropriations across multiple funds at $165,806,080 and proposes a local fund‑balance appropriation of $2,943,742 to balance the books. Assistant Superintendent for Budget and Finance Miss Edmonds told the board the superintendent’s proposed Fund 1 (State) is $101,170,921; Fund 2 (Local) $42,894,475; Fund 3 (Federal) $11,415,322; Fund 4 (Capital) $1,200,000; Fund 5 (School Nutrition) $6,405,500; and Fund 8 (restricted revenue) $2,719,862, totaling the proposed $165,806,080.

Why it matters: the preliminary budget allocates staff and operating resources for the coming year, uses a portion of the district’s fund balance to close an estimated local shortfall and unfreezes one curriculum specialist position the board asked to restore. The board’s budget committee recommended the plan after finding roughly $570,000 in efficiency savings and estimating local revenue growth of about 3 percent from the county funding formula.

Board discussion and key details

- Budget approach: Mr. Johnson, the board’s budget committee chair, described the proposal as “another very…