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CHCCS board approves central-office staff cuts, restores three student-support roles
Summary
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board approved a recommendation to reduce central-office staff to address enrollment and budget pressures but amended the plan to restore a middle-school mental-health specialist, a mental-health specialist for the district's alternative high school (Phoenix) and an autism specialist.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education voted to approve a central-office reduction-in-force plan on a voice vote after more than an hour of discussion and public comment.
Superintendent (Doctor Treis) proposed cutting 22 central-office positions (six currently vacant) to address multi-year declines in student membership and resulting budget shortfalls, projecting approximately $2.7 million in gross savings and an estimated $1.5–$2.0 million in net savings after reorganization costs. In presenting the recommendation he said the goal was to preserve student-facing positions and protect classroom integrity while reorganizing central functions.
The recommendation prompted detailed questions from board members about how district services — notably mental-health, special-education and compliance functions — would be maintained after cuts. Brandy Reeves (district services) said co-located and community partner services would continue to provide supports but acknowledged that some models would return to pre‑grant staffing patterns.
Board members moved an amendment to restore three positions: a middle-school mental‑health specialist, a mental‑health specialist to ensure coverage for Phoenix High School, and an autism specialist (or a comparable EC position). The motion to approve the RIF with those additions passed by voice vote with the board announcing four members in favor and two opposed; the superintendent said impacted staff had been notified and that reassignment and appeal procedures would follow according to district policy.
Why it matters: The district has lost about 1,547 students since the 2019–20 school year, a decline that reduces state funding tied to average daily membership. The RIF and subsequent reorganization are meant to align central-office staffing and spending with lower membership while attempting to preserve supports that most directly affect students in the classroom.
What’s next: If implemented as approved, the district will work through personnel actions in May and pursue reorganization plans that the superintendent says will reassign some tasks and rely on community partners where feasible. The administration estimates net budgetary savings in the $1.5–$2.0 million range after transition costs.
