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Teachers, parents and residents urge supervisors to fully fund Cumberland County schools
Summary
Multiple teachers, parents and community members told the board that 'flat funding is a cut' and urged the supervisors to provide the local match needed to avoid losing about $1.1 million in state funds and to preserve Pre-K, CTE and other programs.
During the public hearing on the FY2027 budget, a sustained series of public comments focused on school funding and program preservation. Educators and parents said the school division is operating on a tight budget and warned that flat funding would force cuts to pre-K, career and technical education (CTE), athletics and paraprofessional positions.
Speaker Nate Lang, a teacher and parent, described Cumberland County Schools as "the heart of our community" and urged the board to consider targeted investments in CTE and staffing. School representatives and speakers repeatedly warned that if the locality does not provide the local match requested by the division, the schools stand to lose state funding; one speaker placed the potential loss at about $1,100,000.
Several speakers also highlighted transportation and facility concerns. Residents and staff described the county's bus garage as inadequate and unsafe for mechanics and urged the board to prioritize a bus facility renovation or relocation to ensure safe maintenance and to support recruitment and retention of mechanics.
"Flat funding seems like stability, but in reality, it is a cut," one school representative said, listing increased fuel and maintenance costs and a shortfall that would jeopardize pre-K, after-school programs and career-readiness offerings. Speakers asked the board to identify budget options so the schools can maintain state-funded programs and not lose matching dollars.
