Cumberland County board reviews FY25-26 draft budget, asks county for one-time maintenance allocation and debates pay-scale fixes

Cumberland County Schools officials on Monday presented a draft FY25-26 budget showing $75,800,000 in projected revenue against roughly $83,400,000 in projected expenditures, producing a gap they said could be closed in part by a one-time allocation from the County Commission and by targeted changes to salary scales.

The budget presentation, given by staff working with Mr. Kepp and Mr. King, included a maintenance-rotation plan and a list of major projects identified in a facilities inspection. Board members focused much of their discussion on a request that the commission consider a one-time allocation to address maintenance needs, and on options to narrow long-standing pay disparities between classified employees and higher-paid positions.

Board members said the draft incorporates a roughly $2 million increase in the county's TISA revenue and about 3.6 percent in total raises built into the proposal. Staff told the board projected expenses total about $83.4 million and that, without additional funding, the system faces a structural gap. To address immediate building and plant needs, staff recommended asking the County Commission for a one-time allocation that would fund the year's maintenance rotation and several major projects.

If the commission provided the one-time maintenance allocation proposed by staff, the presenters said, the remaining gap in the draft budget would shrink substantially (staff estimated a reduction of the gap to about $3.3 million if the full maintenance request were funded). The maintenance-rotation envelope in the staff materials totals about $1.7 million and is…