Haywood County Schools presents recommended $19.37 million budget for 2025-26, outlines capital and nutrition plans

Haywood County Schools officials presented the recommended fiscal year 2025-26 budget during a reconvened budget hearing, laying out operating assumptions, a proposed $1.25 million capital program and a child nutrition budget of $5,558,306.

Dr. Putnam delivered the formal budget message, saying "The mission of Haywood County Schools is to work passionately and productively to support student success," and framed the budget around recruiting and retaining employees, limiting expansion in the local current expense budget and adjusting for the loss of one-time federal funding and declining enrollment.

The recommended budget document covers six funds: state public school (fund 1), local current expense (fund 2), federal grants (fund 3), capital outlay (fund 4), child nutrition (fund 5) and local restricted funds (fund 8). The presenters said anticipated total local and county revenues were $18,654,130 and a fund-balance appropriation of $719,483.75 would bring estimated expenditures to $19,373,617.75.

Budget assumptions presented include a 5% salary increase for certified personnel, a 3% increase for noncertified personnel, employer FICA at 7.65%, employer retirement at 24.75% and an employer hospitalization cost assumption of $8,662 per employee annually. The presentation stated average daily membership (ADM) of 6,370 students in Haywood County Schools plus 686 charter students as the enrollment basis for state and local allocations.

Officials flagged two significant one-time funding items that will reduce next year: federal ESSER III funding (previously totaling $15,692,592) that supported recurring and remediation expenses, and a North Carolina Department of Public Safety grant (about $3,000,000 spent from Sept. 2023 through June 2025) that this year will contribute $1,023,875 toward local utility expenses. Presenters said both expirations will reduce recurring revenue levels and require budget adjustments.

Presenters outlined different revenue calculations during the briefing. One slide listed anticipated county revenue at $18,654,130 and an overall expense total of $19,373,617.75 once fund balance of $719,483.75 is applied. Separately, staff showed a per-pupil appropriation increase of $81.57 (3.25% per pupil), yielding a county appropriation figure shown as $18,285,134; presenters noted that if ADM remained at the prior year level, the county appropriation would have been about $259,139 higher.

The proposed capital outlay budget totals $1,250,000 and lists specific projects: a $150,000 cafeteria roof replacement at Bethel Middle School; a $100,000 gym HVAC replacement at Clyde Elementary; an estimated $60,000 roof replacement for the K-1 building at North Canton; an upgraded fire alarm at Pisgah High School estimated at $160,000; paving the front parking lot at Tuscola High School for about $300,000; new HVAC controls for C building at Waynesville Middle for $55,000; parking-lot paving at Waynesville Middle for $75,000; and a systemwide student device replacement (new Chromebooks) estimated at $350,000.

The child nutrition program, which presenters said operates independently as an enterprise fund, is budgeted at $5,558,306 in both revenues and expenses for 2025-26. Staff said $5,395,800 of that is expected from operating revenues and $162,506 would come from fund balance; costs were described as about 55% labor and benefits, 40% food and supplies and 5% overhead. Presenters also noted USDA cash reimbursements and donated commodities as revenue sources and cited Title I, II and IV among federally funded program areas in the discussion of federal grant funds.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation; no members of the public spoke during the hearing. Presenters repeatedly cautioned that some assumptions are provisional and depend on legislative action and final state allocations. The hearing record shows the budget presentation concluded with no adoption or formal vote recorded at that meeting and the session was closed after staff indicated there were no public comments.