Superintendent Michelle White asks Martin County for increased 2026-27 funding to cover salary, health and capital pressures

Superintendent Michelle White told the Martin County Board of Commissioners and the Martin County Board of Education at a joint meeting on May 4 that Martin County Schools needs increased local support to maintain current services and address long-term facility needs.

White presented the district's 2026-27 operating budget overview: total operating budget $44,317,756; annual payroll $31,041,430; and a fund balance of $3,330,285 (about 7.6% of the budget). She said roughly 70.1% of the budget is paid for salaries and noted the district has 426 employees and 2,429 students.

White laid out personnel cost pressures driving the request. She said the state's proposed 2.5% salary increase for locally paid positions is not state-funded and therefore would become a recurring local obligation. The superintendent said the Governor's proposed $1,500 bonus for staff would add an estimated $44,938 in local costs this year. She also described an expected hospitalization cost increase of $425 per employee and a 10% rise in insurance premiums.

To support non-certified staff, White requested $69,239.79 to provide a $300 supplement for all non-certified employees this year.

On transportation, White said the state's updated funding formula reduces the transportation allocation by $57,104 for FY27 without a reduction in routes or service expectations; she warned that rising diesel prices add further volatility and cost to daily routes.

White described urgent facility and capital needs. The presentation reported the average school building age in Martin County is 51.6 years. She noted the district secured a competitive $62 million grant for a new Martin County High School project and recommended prioritizing replacement of EJ Hayes Elementary (the building was described as 74 years old). White proposed considering the consolidation of Williamston Primary and EJ Hayes to save approximately $600,000 annually in operating costs after Riverside Middle School debt is paid off.

The district estimated total capital needs for 2026-27 at $13,984,530 and requested $3,451,066 in capital outlay and $7,382,494 in local current expense. White also reviewed a multi-phase facilities plan through 2031 that includes planning, construction of a new high school and a consolidated primary/elementary campus targeted to open in fall 2031.

White reviewed recent financial history: the district's appropriation patterns since ESSER funding ended, a $1 million shortfall in 2024-25 that required cutting 41 positions, and declining use of the fund balance in recent cycles. She provided a breakdown of revenue sources: approximately 62.0% state, 15.3% local, 9.5% federal, with other grants, school nutrition and capital outlay making up the remainder. White also supplied a summary of FY25 charter payments totaling $1,302,971 across several schools.

She closed by highlighting student achievement and program accomplishments, including increases in dual-credit enrollment, higher graduation rates for the Class of 2025, improved ACT and WorkKeys results, and competitive recognitions such as selection for the Rural AI Strategy Lab and SPARK Lab. "By continuing to work together with a unified focus on what is best for our students, we are confident that we can build a stronger future for our schools and our community," White said.

The presentation materials will be sent to county commissioners for further review. No formal county appropriation vote occurred at the meeting.

Ending: Commissioners thanked White and school staff for the presentation and the boards adjourned at 8:38 p.m.