Board approves submission of 2026–27 budget request amid teacher retention concerns

The Union County Board of Education voted to submit its recommended 2026–27 budget request to the Union County Board of Commissioners after a staff presentation on May budget priorities and public comments spotlighting teacher shortages and low pay.

"The majority of our funding does come from state," finance presenter Shauna McClamb told the board during a detailed review of state, federal and local funding streams. McClamb said the recommended budget prioritizes local supplements to replace potential lost state funds, additional support for exceptional children, and a roughly $20 million capital request that includes maintenance, transportation and technology needs.

Board members and public speakers emphasized staffing concerns throughout the meeting. Pamela Colton, president of the Union County Association of Educators, urged the board to adopt a resolution opposing voucher programs and to advocate for "transparency, accountability, equity, investment in our public schools." "This is not a policy concern. It is a student impact issue," she said.

McClamb also told the board that the district no longer qualifies for a state 'annual supplement' under the state real-property threshold (roughly $50.9 billion). "Our county this year when we run the numbers is we're at 51.228 billion in real property value. And so it has knocked us out of qualifying for those funds," she said, noting certified staff received a $962 check this May covering the current year but that next year’s supplement is not guaranteed.

The presenter estimated that a hypothetical $1,500 one-time state bonus would create an additional near-$2.7 million local funding need to cover employees the state does not fund. The recommended local request as presented includes about $3.6 million in mandated items and roughly $10–10.5 million in additional requests; the district is seeking approximately $5.6–6 million in local increases and would submit a full package to the county by the end of the week.

After discussion, Chairman Ben moved to submit the 2026–27 budget request to the county commissioners; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Next steps: The board will package the request and submit it to county commissioners for consideration; board leadership also discussed a potential joint meeting with county staff to coordinate capital planning and explore local supplement options.