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Nash County schools ask commissioners for $2.5 million in supplements, bonuses and safety upgrades
Summary
Nash County Public Schools presented its FY 2026-27 requests on May 12, seeking roughly $2.5 million total for classified and teacher supplements, a $500,000 retention bonus, funding to finish middle-school safety locks, and support to continue Advanced Teaching Roles after a grant sunsets.
Superintendent Dr. Steven Ellis and NCPS leaders asked Nash County commissioners on May 12 to consider a roughly $2.5 million package of requests for the 2026-27 school year that would fund employee pay supplements, a retention bonus and campus safety and instruction initiatives.
Dr. Ellis said the district presented several options for classified-worker supplements (a 2% supplement totaling about $726,000 or a 4% option presented elsewhere in packet materials as roughly $1.45 million). The district requested a 1% increase for certified staff (presented as approximately $654,000), and asked the county to continue a $500,000 retention bonus program for employees. "We are asking for $500,000 to continue to support the retention bonus that we are providing annually," a district presenter said.
NCPS staff also sought $267,000 to complete safety locks in three middle schools and asked for $450,000 to sustain elements of the Advanced Teaching Roles model in non-title schools after a five-year grant sunsets. Assistant Superintendent Melissa Dancy Smith highlighted academic gains tied to the ATR investment, saying roughly 74% of schools met or exceeded growth in 2024-25 and that the district had improved graduation and credentialing metrics.
Dr. Pharaoh described the district's layered security approach: 23 full-time SROs (12 elementary, 4 middle, 7 high) funded from a mix of local county appropriation, state '069 at-risk funds and a Center for Safer Schools grant; and 24 Evolve weapon-detection machines placed at school entrances. He told commissioners that some middle- and high-school machines were leased earlier and the district expects to purchase about 12 machines when leases end, with a rough cost estimate of $1.7 million.
District finance staff summarized revenue pressures: state funding will decline because the district will be funded on 224 fewer students next year, at-risk funding declined by about $500,000, and other state/local funding lines and rising benefit costs create shortfalls. Staff said the district is reducing use of fund balance compared with prior years and will provide commissioners with comparative data on classified supplements on request.
Commissioners asked for additional comparative data on classified supplements from neighboring districts; staff agreed to supply the requested figures to commissioners' offices.
What's next: Commissioners will consider the requests as part of the county budget process; district staff provided supplemental materials and said they will follow up with additional comparative data.
Sources: Presentation by Dr. Steven Ellis, Melissa Dancy Smith and NCPS staff to the Nash County Board of Commissioners (May 12, 2026).
