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Gaston County adopts FY26–27 budget after directing joint master plan with schools
Summary
The Gaston County Board of Commissioners approved the manager's FY26'27 budget on May 12, adding a requirement that county staff and Gaston County Schools craft a joint "master plan" to identify sustainable staffing and funding needs; the motion passed 5'1 with Commissioner Jim Bailey dissenting.
Gaston County commissioners voted May 12 to adopt the FY26'27 county budget as presented by the manager, but only after adding a caveat directing county staff and school leaders to jointly produce a staffing-and-funding master plan aimed at stabilizing the school system's finances.
Vice Chair Bob Hovis moved the amendment on the floor, saying the plan would allow the county and the school system to "turn over every rock" and identify sustainable recurring funding rather than relying on ad hoc transfers. "We were not going to let Gaston County Schools fail," Hovis said during debate.
The amended motion passed with one dissent. Commissioner Jim Bailey cast the lone ``no'' vote during the final roll call; other commissioners voted in favor. Earlier unanimous procedural votes had moved the meeting into a public hearing on the proposed budget.
The board's action follows a lengthy public hearing in which parents, teachers and community members urged the commission to increase local support for Gaston County Schools. Commissioners and the superintendent discussed options including repurposing local sales-tax proceeds, drawing on fund balance for short-term relief and pressing the state legislature for additional flexibility.
School officials told the board an outside firm (identified in the hearing as JLL) is assisting with forensic accounting and recommended improvements to the district's financial systems; the superintendent said that firm would remain involved through the end of the fiscal year to help close out accounts and assist with next year's budget work.
Board members described the master-plan approach as an analytical first step: the county and school finance teams will jointly inventory staffing needs, recurring operating costs and revenue options. The board said it could use fund balance for short-term support once the master plan identifies sustainable recurring funding needs.
What passed Monday is the manager's budget as amended; the board scheduled no additional immediate funding in the adopted ordinance beyond the caveat directing development of the master plan. The board also adopted a separate levy resolution for unified fire-protection districts earlier in the meeting, where Commissioner Bailey again registered the sole dissent.
Next steps: the county manager and school officials agreed to begin the joint work and to return findings to the commission for consideration of any short-term funding requests or longer-term tax or revenue proposals.
