Commissioners weigh school budgets, bond plan PAYGO and tax impacts; board debates swap of county land for new elementary site

County staff presented a detailed overview of K–12 funding and the capital improvement plan during the May 15 budget work session, including enrollment counts, per-pupil calculations and three alternate financing scenarios for a proposed school bond program.

Travis (county staff) explained the way budgeted students are calculated using average daily membership (ADM) and how out-of-district and charter students are excluded or treated differently in the county's funding formulas. For 2025–26 staff reported budgeted student totals of 11,018 for Chapel Hill–Carrboro City Schools and 7,925 for Orange County Schools.

Travis said the manager's recommended current-expense budget for the school districts produces a countywide per-pupil figure of $5,877 — an increase of $211 per pupil from the current year — and that when Chapel Hill–Carrboro's special district tax is added the comparable per-pupil total for that district is $8,491. Staff said total recommended current-expense funding in the manager's budget is about $111.3 million.

On capital, Kirk (capital planning) walked commissioners through the school construction priorities and a proposal to begin design of replacement schools, including Carrboro Elementary and a…