Board approves superintendent budget with $1.2M reallocated to classified staff; several amendments and personnel items also approved

The Cumberland County Board of Education’s committee meeting approved the superintendent’s recommended 2025–26 budget with a late change to move $1.2 million from principal and assistant‑principal supplements into classified‑staff supplements, boosting pay for cafeteria workers, teacher assistants and bus drivers.

The change was proposed by Board member Jackie Warner and seconded by Linda Bell; staff were directed to implement the shift and return adjusted numbers to the full board. Jay, who presented the budget to the committee, told members the requested change would reassign funds the district had previously set aside: “we had 1,200,000.0 allocated for classified supplements, additional supplements, and then another 1,200,000.0 for assistant principals and principals,” and the motion would move the principal/AP amount into classified…