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Granville County board approves 50-position reduction as enrollment and funding drop force cuts
Summary
Faced with a drop of about 410 students and a multimillion-dollar funding gap, Granville County school leaders voted to remove 50 positions (40 certified, 10 classified) to avoid roughly $3.8 million in personnel costs and to respond to a projected $4.99 million state funding decrease tied to declining ADM.
The Granville County Board of Education voted April 14 to approve a reduction in force that removes 50 positions across the district as leaders seek to align staffing with declining student enrollment and reduced state funding.
School officials told the board the district recorded an estimated enrollment decline of about 410 students that drove a projected $4.99 million decrease in state funding tied to average daily membership. Human-resources staff and finance leaders recommended a package of cost-avoidance reductions — 40 certified and 10 classified positions — that they estimate would prevent the district from needing to find roughly $3.8 million to maintain current staffing levels.
"We are talking about positions not people," HR Director Dr. Kern said during the presentation, noting that many openings had been held vacant and the administration has been seeking voluntary attrition and reassignments to reduce the human impact. The district also described targeted reductions in school-level allotments (including teacher, instructional-support and clerical allotments) and detailed how state allotment rules affect positions such as special-area teachers and assistants.
Finance director Miss Hines and other administrators told the board that the reductions reflect both enrollment-driven allotment losses and additional cost-avoidance decisions. The board was presented a longer-term budget target of $2.5 million in reductions for next year in addition to the position reductions; administrators emphasized the $3.8 million figure for personnel cost avoidance "is not part of the $2.5 million that we're trying to find. This is above and beyond that," a district presenter said.
Board members asked about the distribution of cuts. Administrators said the recommendation prioritized classroom and school-structure efficiency while attempting to preserve safety and key central services where possible. The recommended reductions included one principal position and several assistant-principal, counselor and media-coordinator allotment changes at the school level, plus teacher and teacher-assistant adjustments tied to state aotments and projected enrollments.
The board approved the staff-reduction motion by voice vote after a motion and second; no roll-call tally was recorded in the public transcript. The administration said notifications and reassignments would continue as resignations and retirements are finalized and that the implementation timeline would include June and July actions for most positions.
What comes next
Administrators said they will continue to pursue attrition, targeted vacancies and reassignment strategies to reduce the number of employees actually affected. They also warned that because the district lost roughly $1.7 million in the state’s low-wealth supplement from the previous year, additional cuts or budget adjustments may be required if enrollment or county funding shifts further. The board will continue budget development through the spring and present interim budget resolutions as required by state and county timelines.
