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Person County Schools request $15.8 million county ask for FY2027; special education and charters drive increase
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Rodney Peterson told commissioners the schools' FY2027 request seeks increased funding for student support services and personnel, including about $230,000 to serve exceptional students; 23% of the county ask (about $3.6 million) goes to charter schools, and the district cited rising utility, contract and technology costs.
The Person County School System presented its fiscal 2027 funding request to the Board of County Commissioners on May 4, with Superintendent Dr. Rodney Peterson emphasizing rising student-support and personnel costs.
Dr. Peterson said the district faces a roughly $230,000 increase to cover costs tied to serving students in a newly licensed group home and other exceptional-children services mandated by federal law. He described increases in custodial and maintenance contracts, a projected $72,000 rise in utilities, higher property-liability and workers’ compensation insurance costs, and an extra $30,000 annually for contracted water-quality services tied to required testing and reporting.
The superintendent said the district’s total county funding request includes an additional roughly $3.6 million that represents 23% of the county ask and is directed to charter schools; he described a total county “ask” figure of approximately $15.8 million. Dr. Peterson also noted ongoing turnover among classified staff and requested funding for a classified-staff salary study and other personnel needs tied to state-funded salary increases.
Commissioners asked for clarification about the group home that led to higher special-education costs. Dr. Peterson said the Department of Health and Human Services had approved licensure for the group home located in Person County and that the district currently serves one remote student at additional cost while preparing for others who need one-on-one mental-health supports and specialized services.
No formal vote on the schools’ request was taken; the board will consider the manager’s recommended budget on May 18 and set public hearings and adoption dates later in the budget calendar.
