Buncombe school leaders warn state bill could redirect Article 39 funds and halt major repairs

Buncombe County Schools officials told the Board of Education on March 6 that proposed language in the state legislature could let county leaders use Article 39 sales-tax proceeds for operating or “any public purpose,” a change that school staff said would threaten roughly half of the district’s capital funding and could halt major building repairs.

The warning came at a special budget work session where district staff outlined the capital budgeting process, current facility needs and the potential impact if Article 39 funding is repurposed. Tina Thorpe (staff member) told the board, “Article 39 is approximately 50% of our capital budget each year.” Superintendent Dr. Jackson added urgency, saying, “We cannot spare 1 dime of our article 39 to not go towards facilities and repair.”

Why it matters: Article 39 sales-tax proceeds currently supply a large share of the district’s capital budget. District staff said the system faces about $436,000,000 in current capital requests from schools and departments and that annual infrastructure upkeep alone is roughly $26,000,000–$27,000,000. Clark Wyatt (facilities and maintenance staff) said deferred maintenance and aging systems are creating escalating costs: “If you wait too long, you could be replacing the entire roof structure, all the way down to the deck.”

District funding picture and immediate risks

District presenters described three main local capital revenue sources: Article 39 (the one-cent local sales-tax penny often called the school capital…