Orange County commissioners hear two school districts budget requests

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools presented proposed budgets to county commissioners totaling around $14 million. Commissioners, wary of potential tax increases, stressed the need to prioritize essential services over expansion desires.
Posted 4/30/2025, 10:35:38 PM Updated 5/1/2025, 12:58:09 AM

FOOTBALL SEASON.

>> IN CHAPEL HILL WILL BE DANA

LEE, WRAL NEWS.

>> NEEDS INSTEAD OF WANTS.

THAT'S HOW ONE ORANGE COUNTY

COMMISSIONER REACTED TO THE ASK

FROM THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS

FOR NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. THE

COUNTY SUPPORTS BOTH CHAPEL

HILL CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS AND

ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOLS. WRAL'S

MONICA CASEY SHOWS US HOW THEIR

DECISIONS WILL IMPACT NEARLY

18,000 STUDENTS IN THOSE 2

DISTRICTS

>> WE ARE CONCERNED WE ARE

CONCERNED ABOUT GENERAL AND

STATE FUNDING FOR OUR SCHOOLS

FOR TEACHERS CONCERNED THE MAIN

MOOD AT THE ORANGE COUNTY

COMMISSION MEETING WHERE 2

SCHOOL DISTRICTS PRESENTED

THEIR PROPOSED BUDGETS. EACH

HAS 2 CATEGORIES. THE

CONTINUATION BUDGET IS WHAT'S

NEEDED TO HOLD STEADY. THE

EXPANSION BUDGET COVERS NEW

INITIATIVES, CHAPEL HILL

CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS IS ASKING

FOR 3.2, 5 MILLION IN

CONTINUATION AND ABOUT

7 MILLION IN EXPANSION. THE

CONTINUATION ASK IS FOR SALARY

BUMPS HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS

AND INFLATIONARY ADJUSTMENTS.

THE EXPANSION ASK WOULD FUND

CLASSIFIED SUPPLEMENT

INCREASES? BRING BACK MASTERS

LEVEL PAY AND REINSTATE SOME OF

THE POSITIONS THE DISTRICT HAD

TO CUT ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOLS IS

ASKING FOR 1.8 MILLION IN

CONTINUATION AND 2.3 MILLION AN

EXPANSION THAT CONTINUATION

ASKED IS FOR SALARY INCREASES.

>> THE EXPANSION ASK COVERS

TEACHER SUPPLEMENT INCREASES

CLASSIFIED SUPPLEMENT

INCREASES, AND A PAY BUMP FOR

BUS DRIVERS. ROUGH NUMBERS OF

EXPANSION AND

>> CONTINUATION IT PUTS IT AT

ABOUT 14 MILLION DOLLARS.

THAT WOULD EQUATE TO A 5 TO

$0.6 AT LEAST TAX INCREASE.

ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

ACKNOWLEDGE MUCH OF THE

EXPANSION BUDGETS MAY NOT BE

POSSIBLE.

>> I HAVE SOME REAL HEARTBURN

OVER THIS LEVEL OF OF REQUESTS.

MOVING A LOOK AT. THE NEEDS.

AND SOME OF THE WANTS MAY NOT

HAPPEN.