Person County Schools requests 8.7% budget increase for FY26, cites rising special‑education and operations costs

Person County Schools Superintendent Dr. Rodney Peterson presented the district’s fiscal year 2026 budget request to the Board of Commissioners on May 5, asking the county to consider an operating increase driven primarily by special‑education growth and higher operations costs.

Peterson said the district’s exceptional‑children population has grown by about 5 percentage points while state funding covers roughly 13.75% of special‑education costs; the district’s current exceptional‑children population is about 20% of enrollment. The request includes additional positions to reduce the district’s use of contracted private providers and to redirect services to in‑district staff.

Peterson also pointed to rising retirement contribution rates, anticipated salary increases for locally paid staff, higher utilities, water‑quality testing for four well‑served schools, and increased insurance costs as drivers of the budget change. The district requested a 3% cost‑of‑living increase for locally paid personnel in its submission to the county.

Peterson highlighted several programmatic successes the district cited to support its request: 10 of 11 schools are ABC‑recognized, eight of 11 schools met or exceeded state expectations, and 88% of teachers exceeded growth expectations last year. He described partnerships and grant‑supported services that the district uses for mental‑health and behavior interventions — including Key Pathways, ViaHelp, Crossroads, Youth Villages and DSS — and said those supports have enabled suicide risk assessments, behavior assessments, restorative practices and substance‑use interventions performed this school year.

Peterson said the district has used opioid‑settlement funds to support substance‑use intervention work and reported roughly 103 students served by substance‑use interventions this year. He also noted grant revenue supports three school resource officers (SROs) and other safety‑related equipment such as interoperable radios.

Peterson told commissioners the district’s capital request centers on a technology refresh previously covered with ESSER federal COVID‑recovery funds that are no longer available. He asked the board to review the detailed budget materials submitted to the manager and to continue the existing lines of communication between the school board and county officials.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the high number of suicide assessments in K‑5; Peterson explained the district uses a tiered response and partners with behavioral health agencies and mobile crisis teams to determine the level of intervention needed.