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Caswell County commissioners reach consensus on $240,000 school supplements, set operating allocation at $2.84 million
Summary
County commissioners agreed to recommend $1,000 supplements for certified teachers and use a remaining balance (about $74,000) for other school personnel, and set a proposed operating allocation of $2,837,592 for the school system; a formal budget ordinance vote will come at the June 16 meeting.
The Caswell County Board of Commissioners reached a consensus to allocate $240,000 for one-time school personnel supplements and to recommend that certified teachers receive $1,000 each while the remaining balance — approximately $74,000 — be divided among other school employees as the Board of Education determines.
Commissioner Smith proposed the supplement structure and told the board the plan would equate to roughly a 1-cent property tax increase and cost $240,000. Commissioners discussed staff counts during the meeting: an initial figure of 315 school employees was mentioned, then updated by staff to 398 total employees. County finance staff warned that employee counts and vacancies can change and that final distribution decisions are typically made by the school board.
On school operating funds, commissioners agreed to a proposal to increase last year’s adopted operating allocation by 2.1 percent (an inflation adjustment). That calculation produced a recommended operating budget allocation for the school system of $2,837,592. The board agreed capital project funds would be held until the school submitted invoices and work was underway.
County officials discussed the county’s recent use of fund balance to avoid tax increases and noted that recurring increases funded from fund balance can create future budget pressure. The manager and finance staff described recent fiscal history: a drawdown of fund balance in prior years (over $4 million appropriated from fund balance in the prior cycle) and a projected surplus for FY2024 but a tentative deficit for FY2025.
The board directed staff to prepare a budget ordinance based on these consensus numbers; the ordinance and final votes are scheduled for the June 16 commissioners meeting. Commissioners also confirmed that salaries for the sheriff, county manager, and register of deeds are budgeted at the same 1.5 percent increase proposed for other county employees.
Board members emphasized they were recommending supplement amounts to the Board of Education, not unilaterally allocating pay increases to school employees; the school board retains operational discretion to distribute supplements within personnel rules.
