Superintendent asks Southampton County for $4.0M to preserve programs, proposes 5% pay raise and twice-monthly pay
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Summary
Acting Superintendent Dr. Chandra Harris Mohammad asked supervisors to fund a $4,000,615 school request for FY2026-27 that includes a proposed 5% staff raise and a move from monthly to twice-monthly pay; she warned level funding would force larger classes and cuts to services for students with special needs.
Dr. Chandra Harris Mohammad, the acting superintendent for Southampton County Public Schools, told the Board of Supervisors on April 15 that the school division is seeking $4,000,615 from the county for fiscal year 2026-27 to maintain current services and staff levels.
"Our school division is fully accredited," Harris Mohammad said in opening her presentation, and then framed the ask around rising costs: the local composite index has increased (from about 0.28 to about 0.32), electricity and diesel prices have risen, and the board and administration budgeted a 10% increase for health insurance. Harris Mohammad said those factors combine for a projected 16.91% increase in the division’s budget and that the $4,000,615 request would allow the division to retain existing positions and fund a proposed 5% pay increase for instructional and classified staff.
The superintendent also proposed changing the payroll schedule for school employees from once a month to twice a month. Harris Mohammad said the division surveyed staff and received 291 responses; 56% favored the change, 29.9% opposed it and 14.1% were unsure. "Of the 291 responses…56% said yes," she said. The administration proposed starting bimonthly pay in August 2026 and provided the board with an estimated county cost for the change.
Board members raised practical concerns and trade-offs. Chair Powell called the payroll proposal "a very reasonable request in this day and age," and other supervisors pointed out that splitting pay periods can pose budgeting challenges for some households. School staff pushed back that monthly pay particularly affects new hires and can mean a first paycheck delayed by several weeks, which complicates recruitment in a tight teacher labor market.
School staff reported specific compensation data to illustrate pressure on recruitment and retention. A school official said Southampton County’s teacher pay falls at the bottom of the Region 2 scale; staff provided a first-year teacher salary in the low-$48,000 range and paraprofessional salary bands of roughly $18,000–$19,000 depending on credentials. Harris Mohammad said the division currently enrolls 2,339 students and added that, without additional funding, administrators may need to widen class sizes and reduce services that support students with special needs.
On revenue, Harris Mohammad said the division expects roughly $1,000,450 in state revenue under current state budget negotiations and that the local request together with state funds would leave total division revenue slightly over $6 million. Board members and staff did arithmetic in-session and concluded the county would need to identify approximately $1.6 million beyond the state increase and the county’s current draft contribution to fully meet the division’s $4.0 million ask.
What happens next: supervisors asked the administration to produce a specific list of what would be cut if the board cannot meet the full ask (including what a 2% alternative raise would allow). The board scheduled another budget meeting to finalize the draft to publish for public hearing. The board adjourned at the end of the session.
