Alamance County approves school settlement and related budget amendments after closed‑session negotiations

The Alamance County Board of Commissioners on July 7 approved a negotiated settlement with the Alamance‑Burlington School System and two related budget amendments, voting 4–1 after several commissioners raised concerns about decisions made in closed session.

County Attorney Stevens told the board the settlement was negotiated in closed session and that approval had been authorized by Chair Paisley, Vice Chair Carter and Commissioners Allen and Thompson; Commissioner Priola said he opposed the agreement and objected to the lack of a recorded public vote. "I disagree with the county attorney," Commissioner Priola said during debate, adding he believed the board should have taken a recorded public vote on the agreement. Stevens replied that the board had followed the closed‑session provision cited in subsection a(3) and that the settlement terms and closed‑session minutes were included in the agenda packet. "I stand by my position that it was proper for us to have done what we did in closed session," Stevens said.

The board then voted on two budget items tied to school funding. Budget amendment 13, described by staff as a fiscal‑year 2024–25 cleanup item that incorporates state lottery funds for school debt service, included a $1,459,068 appropriation the Department of Public Instruction approved for school debt service. Commissioners voted to approve the amendment by a 4–1 margin. Later, the board approved a separate FY2025–26 budget amendment that includes additional appropriations connected to the settlement; that amendment also passed by a 4–1 vote.

Why it matters: Commissioners and members of the public pressed for greater transparency about how school appropriations would be monitored. Commissioner Priola said he remained concerned about whether the public would receive adequate documentation of school spending. County Attorney Stevens noted that the settlement requires the school board to provide documentation on expenditures "upon request" in accordance with the county's fiscal procedures, and he said the agreement had been shared with the press and attached to the June 20 minutes when the school board adopted it.

Board members on both sides said they were trying to balance negotiating leverage with the public's interest in disclosure. Chair Paisley and others defended the negotiating approach, saying detailed public debate during active negotiations could undermine the county’s bargaining position. Priola and others countered that spending at the scale involved merited a recorded public vote.

The board voted to approve: (1) the settlement agreement with Alamance‑Burlington School System (authorized in closed session and now reported in the minutes); (2) Budget Amendment 13 (FY2024–25 lottery funds to school debt service, $1,459,068); and (3) a FY2025–26 budget amendment that incorporates elements of the settlement. Vote tallies were recorded as 4–1 on the contested items; Commissioner Priola cast the lone opposition.

The county attorney said the signed settlement and the closed‑session minutes are in the meeting packet and will be made publicly available with the minutes. Commissioners urged continued follow‑up on documentation of school expenditures under the settlement.

The board held additional, separate votes that are reported elsewhere on the agenda.