Union County commissioners detail school funding, stop short of forcing teacher supplements

Union CountyBoard of Commissioners on Tuesday received a staff briefing on how the county funds Union County Public Schools and debated whether local officials or the school board should determine who receives proposed teacher supplements.

County manager Bridal Matthews told the board the countys general fund is roughly $215 million and that about $139 million of that goes to Union County Public Schools; additional county-funded services related to schools (school resource officers, behavioral health partnerships and school nurses) add roughly $9.4 million in support. "When you take their rate and the value change, it yielded them an additional $8.8 million in revenue," Matthews said, describing how the bifurcated education tax rate produced the extra funding without a countywide tax increase.

The discussion centers on a school board request that would cost an estimated $14.6 million to fully cover operating needs, including a proposal for a $2,000 supplement per teacher. Public speakers urged commissioners to fund the higher supplement: "Fund the $2,000 stipend," Jen Sanders, a Waxhaw resident, told the board, saying the county should invest in educators who teach nearly 41,000 children daily. Kelly Sinecola, also of Waxhaw, urged the board to protect public education funding and raised concerns about an estimated $15.6 million leaving Union County this year under the state voucher program.

Staff estimated roughly 2,438 teachers could be eligible for a supplement and said the countys calculations show a universal $1,000 uplift across instructional personnel would cost about $3.8 million, while a $2,000 increase for the same group would run roughly $7.8 million. Matthews cautioned that those totals vary if the supplement is limited to classroom teachers only.

Commissioners pressed several points: who had communicated a $2,000 promise to staff and teachers; whether teacher assistants and other certified staff would be included; and whether the county could lawfully direct specific allocations after transferring funds. "Who made this promise?" one commissioner asked, noting staff and teachers appeared to understand a $2,000 supplement had been guaranteed.

County legal counsel advised that state law limits the commissionersauthority to broad budget functions. The county attorney said the board can approve funds at the function level (for example, regular instructional services) but cannot legally bind the Board of Education on minute line-item allocations such as a specified dollar-per-teacher supplement.

Matthews and the attorney also discussed the mechanics of raising local revenue: staff said a penny on the education tax rate generates roughly $6.1 million, which would have been the approximate increment needed to reach UCPS—s full $14.6 million ask. The county attorney said he would research whether statute allows a tax-rate increase midbudget year but expressed doubt, noting that tax rates typically are set for the fiscal year.

The board took no formal vote to change taxes or force specific supplement payments during the meeting. Commissioners did approve a consent agenda, which included adding a resolution to convey an easement to the City of Monroe, and they confirmed an appointment to the Union County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. Matthews offered to provide county review resources to UCPS if the school system wanted technical assistance on budgeting or process reviews.

What happens next: commissioners asked staff to follow up with additional questions for UCPS and to report back; the county attorney said he would research the legal question of midyear tax rate changes. The board did not adopt an immediate change to supplement policy and left allocation decisions for the Board of Education within the limits identified by counsel.