Chatham County Schools asks county for nearly $3.2 million to cover pay, benefits, meals and capital needs

Chatham County Schools officials told the school board on Jan. 13 that they will ask the county for about $3.2 million in additional funding for the 2025-26 fiscal year to restore salary supplements, cover rising benefits and operational costs, and expand capital outlay.

Superintendent Dr. Jackson said the district must show “a return on the investment” when requesting local funds and framed the priorities as investments in workforce stability, student programs and safe, modern facilities. "Schools are an investment, and we go and we ask on a regular basis for that investment," Jackson said.

The finance officer, Bridal Smith, presented the budget assumptions and line items the district expects to include in its county request. Among the items Smith listed were a $250,000 restoration of the master'00supplement for teachers who hold master'00degrees earned outside the state pay window; $400,000 estimated for fixed employee costs including health insurance and retirement growth; a 3'to—4 percent salary increase planning assumption; $300,000 for fixed operational costs such as insurance and utilities; $240,000 to fully fund a new unified stipend schedule for coaches, band, theater and grade-level leads; and $250,000 additional capital outlay funding. Smith also called for $300,000 to help offset the district’s cost of providing universal free breakfast and lunch at most schools under the Community Eligibility Provision.

Smith told the board the local share that would be passed along to charter schools (a required transfer based on enrollment) increases the total county ask; the charter transfer was estimated in the presentation at roughly $290,000 for the amounts discussed.

Board members asked questions about the enrollment and ESSER timing that affected federal funding rankings; Smith said the district'00had fewer ESSER funds available this year than in prior years, which lowered federal funding in comparative county rankings.

The board approved the presented request summary by motion after the presentation. The vote was recorded as in favor; no roll-call tally named individual yes votes on the record.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to go into closed session (start of meeting): moved and seconded; outcome: approved. (Procedural) - Motion to adopt the meeting agenda: moved and seconded; outcome: approved. (Procedural) - Motion to approve the personnel agenda: moved and seconded; outcome: approved. (Procedural) - Motion to approve the consent agenda: moved and seconded; outcome: approved. (Procedural) - Motion to accept Wolfspeed Incorporated donation of $20,000 to support the district robotics team: moved and seconded; outcome: approved. (See separate items in transcript; donation acceptance referenced Policy 80-20 for board approval of donations over $5,000.) - Motion to approve the district'00budget request summary and priorities (presented Jan. 13): moved and seconded; outcome: approved. - Motion to approve the United Way of Chatham MOU (partnering on a family navigator pilot at Siler City Elementary): moved and seconded; outcome: approved. - Motion to approve a three-year contract renewal with Risk and Strategic Management (RSM): moved and seconded; outcome: approved.

Why it matters

The request targets personnel costs (pay, benefits and stipends) and school operations that affect hiring, retention and day-to-day school services. Officials said restoring the master'00supplement and increasing the unified stipend are intended to improve competitiveness with surrounding counties and to recognize sustained extra duties performed by staff. The district is also absorbing costs tied to providing free meals at nearly all schools under CEP; officials said three schools still do not qualify for CEP, and the district is covering costs for those sites.

Details and background

- Master supplement: $250,000. District leaders said North Carolina state rules limit which master'00degrees earn state-funded pay (degrees begun after August 2013 typically are not funded by the state). The requested local supplement would make the district more competitive for teachers whose master'00degrees are excluded from state reimbursement.

- Employee and retirement costs: Finance staff noted health insurance increased substantially this year (from about $7,557 to $8,095 per employee) and the district is budgeting for further growth. The district'00reported its employer retirement match at 24.04% and is projecting an increase of roughly 2 percentage points.

- Salary planning assumption: the presentation used a 3'to—4% planning range for a general increase across staff to remain competitive.

- Unified stipend structure: the board heard about a newly implemented unified stipend structure that consolidates recurring extra-duty payments into 14 categories (coaches, arts, mentors, coordinators, grade-level leads). The district estimated the full funding cost at about $240,000.

- School nutrition: the district is maintaining universal free meals where most schools qualify under CEP; the ask includes $300,000 to help cover the remaining local cost for schools that do not qualify.

- Capital outlay: an additional $250,000 was requested for materials, contracted services and increasing costs related to maintenance and modernization.

Board direction and next steps

Board members approved the presented budget priorities and asked staff to continue refining numbers. Superintendent Jackson said the district would continue to align requests with its strategic plan and report back at the board retreat and during subsequent budget discussions with the county. The board holds a mid-year retreat the following morning to review enrollment projections and other details referenced in the presentation.

Attributions

Quotes and details in this article are taken from the Jan. 13 board meeting presentations by Dr. Jackson (superintendent) and Bridal Smith (finance officer) and the board's public motion and vote recorded during the meeting.