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Teachers and parents urge commissioners to raise school funding and local supplements
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged the Lee County Board of Commissioners to commit to the Lee County Schools' proposed budget and increase local supplements and per-pupil spending, warning that current pay levels drive teacher losses to neighboring counties.
A sustained public-comment period at the May 18 Lee County commission meeting was dominated by appeals for increased local school funding and teacher pay.
Speakers including local teachers, parents and school advocates said counties surrounding Lee County invest a larger share of local tax revenue in education and that higher local supplements have helped retain teachers elsewhere. Aaron Rener, a parent and member of the local school staff union, said county-commissioned research found that surrounding counties spent more per pupil and reported better academic outcomes, and called on the board to back the school board's proposed budget that would raise Lee CountySchools' current-expense funding.
Kayla Walda, identified as Lee County NCE president, and several classroom teachers described teacher shortages, the number of students teachers reach daily, and the personal financial strain on educators who supplement classroom needs out of pocket. Speakers urged the board to "stand in the gap" where state funding is insufficient and to adopt local measures that would reduce teacher turnover.
Other commenters amplified similar themes, saying the proposed county contribution would raise the countyper-pupil current expense funding to about $2,522 for FY27 and that a dedicated penny of the proposed property-tax increase was intended to support that goal. Several speakers tied school funding to long-term community outcomes, arguing investment now could reduce future social-service and criminal-justice costs.
The public comments were part of a packed agenda that also included zoning matters, an opioid-settlement update and the county managerrecommended FY27 budget; the board took no immediate separate vote at the time of the public-comment period on the school-funding request, but the budget presented later in the meeting recommended one penny toward increased current-expense funding for schools.
