Teachers, parents and students urge Asheville board to seek 'no‑cuts' budget after $4.7 million clawback

Speakers at the Asheville City Schools board meeting delivered urgent public comments asking the board to request a fully funded 2025–26 budget from Buncombe County that would preserve pre‑hurricane staffing and services.

“Please commit unanimously as a board to asking the county commission for a fully funded budget for the 25–26 school year,” said Samantha Aycock, a kindergarten teacher at Lucy S. Herring Elementary, during public comment. She described the January decision by the county commission to reclaim $4,700,000 from local public schools and warned of “devastation” if staff and services are cut.

Carson Bridges, a first‑grade teacher at Claxton Elementary and membership coordinator for the Asheville City Association of Educators (ACAE), told the board district staff are asking for a “no cuts” budget request that would maintain all pre‑hurricane positions, compensation, programming and services. Bridges said union leaders have circulated a petition and are asking the board to sign on and lead a unified request to county commissioners and state officials.

Speakers also presented a letter from parent organizations that called for a budget request that keeps programming and staffing at pre‑hurricane levels and asked the board to seek reimbursement of a $700,000 clawback that occurred in January. The letter, read aloud by Carolyn Small, co‑president of the Claxton Family and Teacher Organization, said parent groups would support district advocacy and noted Buncombe County’s projected $70 million deficit tied to Hurricane Helene.

Teacher and staff petition organizers told the board the petition has broad staff support: they said they collected signatures from hundreds of Asheville City Schools employees and that PTOs across the district had endorsed a no‑cuts request. “The petition now has signatures from a super majority of ACS staff members, a unanimous sort from every PTO in our district,” said Abby Hubbs, a bus driver and instructional assistant at Isaac Dixon Elementary.

Several student speakers also addressed the board. “If we don’t get more money soon, we may lose a few of our teachers,” said a Claxton first‑grade student, describing classroom impacts if staffing is reduced.

Board members did not take a formal vote on a budget request during the meeting. Multiple speakers urged the board to use its platform to ask Buncombe County commissioners to restore funding, to consider restoring city school tax rates to pre‑COVID levels and to pursue other revenue options. Presenters emphasized that operational funds — classroom staff, teacher aides and student services — are the district’s immediate priority.

Clarifying details provided during public comment included the $4,700,000 mid‑year clawback, a separate $700,000 reimbursement request the parent letter asked the board to pursue, and organizers’ statement that they had collected roughly 467 staff signatures on the petition. Speakers distinguished operational needs (staffing, interventions and day‑to‑day supports) from capital funding and said they would press both county and state officials for relief.

The board acknowledged the comments and accepted the petition materials; it did not adopt a formal budget position on the record at this meeting. Several board members said they were listening and would continue discussions with the superintendent and staff about what to request from county commissioners and the legislature.