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Alamance‑Burlington schools ask commissioners for $5.7M; board presses on transparency and funding mechanics
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Fleming asked Alamance County commissioners to restore a $5.7 million expansion to the school system's operational budget, warning that a separate $10 million cut would harm teacher supplements, pre-K, athletics and capital needs. Commissioners probed SRO funding flows, charter reimbursements and consultant use.
Alamance‑Burlington School System Superintendent Dr. Fleming told county commissioners the district's operational budget request totals $59,000,000 and includes a $5,700,000 ask to cover employee costs, supplements and essential programs.
"Our operational budget request, which totals $59,000,000, includes a $5,700,000 increase," Dr. Fleming said, noting the system serves roughly 23,000 students in 38 schools. She said the increase would preserve teacher supplements, pre‑K support, athletics and other student services.
The request prompted sustained questioning from commissioners about how county allocations affect state funding formulas and the placement of deputies and school resource officers (SROs). Commissioners raised concerns that shifting payments between the county and the school system could lower the district's per‑pupil spending calculation and risk the county's low‑wealth designation.
Dr. Fleming described the challenge: because state funding follows students, transfers to charter schools reduce the district's counted average daily membership (ADM). "What we're asking for is just a buffer between our actual ADM and what is being transferred to the charter schools," she said, proposing a roughly 10% cushion to offset charter transfers.
County officials and ABSS officials also debated SRO funding. ABSS leaders said moving $1.3 million to sheriff's deputies in the manager's recommended budget created a $250,000 gap for municipal SRO support and stressed that some state grants and allocations are not guaranteed year to year.
Commissioners pressed ABSS on oversight and spending transparency. A commissioner noted past controversies and requested deeper access to line‑item checkbooks; Dr. Fleming pointed to a transparency portal she is developing and to ongoing audits and reporting the district will provide.
The board and school leaders also discussed the district's use of consultants. A commissioner questioned reliance on outside firms; Dr. Fleming said local North Carolina coaches are working with two low‑performing schools, and characterized external advisers as part of a broader effort to improve outcomes.
The board did not take a final vote on the request. County staff said they would run tax‑rate scenarios for the commissioners and return with additional analysis, including how different allocations would affect the tax rate and the county's low‑wealth status.
Next steps: staff will provide detailed trending and funding scenarios and answer commissioners' questions at a follow‑up work session before any final budget action.
