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Asheville City Schools asks Buncombe County for $2.41M and restoration of supplemental levy; cites Helene impacts and enrollment shifts
Summary
Asheville City Schools presented a FY26 request that includes restoring the supplemental local levy (0.12) and a $2,410,000 local appropriation increase; officials outlined mid-year learning impacts from Hurricane Helene and facility-usage studies to address enrollment declines.
Asheville City Schools Superintendent (Dr. Furman) and district staff presented the district’s FY26 funding request to Buncombe County commissioners, asking the board to restore a local supplemental levy and provide a $2,410,000 increase in county appropriations.
Request and components
- Supplemental levy: The Asheville City Schools board requested restoring the supplemental local levy to 0.12 (the presentation estimated that restoring the levy would raise about $1.5 million).
- Local appropriation: The district requested an additional $2,410,000 in local appropriation and said it plans to draw about $3,000,000 from fund balance in the coming year to balance the budget under a no-cuts scenario. The school system estimated total budget pressure at roughly $6.91 million from increased costs and revenue shortfalls.
Why it matters: Asheville City Schools said Hurricane Helene produced measurable mid-year learning impacts — most notably among younger grades and in math and reading benchmark checks — and that additional staff and resources are needed to sustain the district’s recovery and continuing student supports.
Academic and enrollment context
The district reported growth in overall student achievement for recent years but said the mid-year universal-screening data after Helene showed declines in K–5 reading and math proficiency rates and particular weaknesses in math 1 and eighth-grade math. The presentation called attention to the need for continued small-group and targeted interventions.
Facilities and enrollment planning
Superintendent Furman said the district will commission a long-range facility-usage study (RFP issued and three firms shortlisted) to analyze enrollment, capacity and potential shared services with Buncombe County Schools. Furman noted a statewide trend of declining enrollment driven largely by lower birth rates and reiterated that facility decisions will be informed by capacity/utilization analysis.
Quotes
"We are continuously outperforming the state in improvement," Furman said, while acknowledging the district must accelerate progress for historically underserved groups.
"Bridal to Learning" and recovery programs: Asheville City Schools also described a student-led "Bridal to Learning" (bridge-to-learning) program that served more than 200 students daily after the storm, pairing high-school mentors with younger students for hands-on activities and social-emotional supports.
Ending
The district asked commissioners to consider the combined package — supplemental levy restoration plus a $2.41 million appropriation and planned fund-balance use — as part of the manager’s recommended FY26 budget. Commissioners asked for additional budget detail and comparisons and requested further data on facility plans and enrollment projections.
