Brunswick County Schools proposes local scholarship after ECU changes to principal fellows funding
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Summary
At the March 3 board meeting, staff warned that East Carolina University cuts to the Principal Fellows program reduce slots and end year‑one salary reimbursement, and proposed expanding the local Brunswick Built scholarship to cover aspiring administrators; the board approved the proposal to move forward by voice vote.
At its March 3 meeting, the Brunswick County Board of Education heard that funding changes at East Carolina University have sharply reduced district support for the university’s Principal Fellows program and approved a plan to pursue a local scholarship alternative.
Natalie Brosi, a Brunswick County Schools staff member, told the board the university program’s available slots were cut “from 38 to 20” and that the university will no longer reimburse salary costs for year one. Brosi said that change would raise the district’s cost dramatically: “If we wanted to send 2 principal fellow candidates through the same 2‑year program, instead of coming out with an overall cost of around 45,000, it would be an overall cost of around 180,000 for the 2‑year program for 2 candidates,” she said. Brosi also said the district currently has “approximately 39 aspiring teachers participating in the scholarship program.”
Brosi proposed expanding the existing Brunswick Built teacher scholarship to include administrative candidates as a lower‑cost option that would preserve a local pipeline into school leadership. Under the proposal she described, the district could add one administrative slot each year to the local scholarship program and offer a $15,000 service award spread over two years in exchange for local service commitments. Brosi said candidates would remain employed while completing evening or online coursework, and the district would consider offering internship stipends and professional leave days to support their required internship hours.
Board members voiced support for continuing the pipeline. Mister Barger said the program has produced several successful administrators and argued the district should “bridge that gap” to retain staff. After discussion, Barger moved to approve the recommendation “as presented by Miss Brosi tonight,” Miss Cook seconded and the motion passed by voice vote.
Brosi told the board she will return to committee meetings with more details and requested feedback on program specifics. No roll‑call vote or dollar‑by‑dollar funding allocation was recorded at the meeting; Brosi described the figures above as estimates tied to the recent change in ECU’s program funding and reimbursement policy.
