Orange County Commissioners voted on Thursday night to increase the amount of funding for the two local school districts to approximately $5.4 million above what the county manager recommended.

The increase brings the per-pupil spending for both districts to an estimated $3,868, which is still short of what the two districts requested.

Commissioner Barry Jacobs said he wanted to reaffirm to the public that the board was committed to funding education in the county.

Jacobs said the per-pupil increase was “the second-highest increase in 30 years, at least, in Orange County; the highest having been two years ago.

“So for those who keep insisting that we do not support public education or that we’re not generous to the schools or that we don’t listen or that we’re shortchanging children and parents and teachers, it is just not true and the numbers say so.”

The move comes after a budget work session with the schools that board chair Earl McKee described as at times “confrontational.” McKee said he wanted the tone of the discussion between the board and school districts to change going forward to have more back and forth.

“Had that happened even a small amount when we were having our last discussion with the schools,” McKee said, “if the schools had came back and said, ‘We understand; we’re going to reduce our ask by even $50 per student,’ that would have changed the complexion of that discussion that night.”

McKee added that meeting “made us all uncomfortable. It puts this board in a position of feeling like we’re against the wall. It puts the schools in a position of feeling like that they have to be aggressive.

“And I think that the discussion between this board and the schools needs to be more of a discussion rather than an ask with a stone wall.”

Much of the discussion surrounding school funding centered on how to best fund the school’s requests going forward.

Jacobs said he didn’t anticipate changes at the state level regarding school funding from the Republican-led General Assembly and called for more long-range planning.

“We know that the state legislature isn’t changing until the next census, because they wrote themselves in, so that’s 2021; That’s five years,” Jacobs said. “So what we need to do is have a plan and then we can decide as part of that plan.”

Commissioner Mia Burroughs – who is a former Chapel Hill – Carrboro City School board member – made a motion for a .6 percent tax increase to generate just over $1 million more dollars for the schools. That motion failed 5-2 with Burroughs and Bernadette Pelissier voting for the tax increase. Other commissioners voiced concern over the proposition of raising taxes just ahead of the 2017 property revaluation and the $125 million worth of bond packages that will be on November’s ballot in Orange County.

Commissioners are expected to approve the final budget on Tuesday night.

Related Stories
‹
Engrossed in Education Funding Dispute, North Carolina Revisits Milestone 2022 Ruling
North Carolina's Supreme Court returned Thursday to its landmark 2022 ruling in the Leandro Case. Republican lawmakers want it pulled back.
Governor Rolls Out School Safety Funding Pitch at Cedar Ridge High School
Governor Roy Cooper was shuffling through the hallways and offices of Cedar Ridge High School on Thursday, meeting with school support personnel – counselors, the school nurse. Cooper said these were vital roles for public education in North Carolina. “Often, people who could make more money doing something else,” Cooper said, “decide they want to […]
Orange County Entering Budget Process With Class-Size Mandate Looming
As the Orange County Board of Commissioners are preparing to start the budgeting process for the year, questions about how the county will react to the looming class-size mandate have begun to arise. Republicans in the General Assembly voted in 2016 to reduce class sizes for kindergarten through third-grade classes, which chair of the Orange […]
Orange County School Committee Approves Revised Dress Code Aimed at Banning Confederate Flag
A revised dress code policy is set to go back before the Orange County Schools Board of Education. The board’s policy committee unanimously passed a revised dress code policy on Wednesday. The procedural move was necessary to move the policy back before the full school board. Orange County Schools superintendent Dr. Todd Wirt said action […]
Orange County Loses Authority to Assess Impact Fees
Orange county can no longer charge fees on new residential construction to help pay for anticipated schools and other infrastructure after legislators accused local officials of abusing their authority with high rates. The Senate voted 35-13 on Monday to repeal the county’s power to charge impact fees, originally sanctioned 30 years ago. The repeal now […]
NC House Votes to Repeal Orange County Impact Fees
Orange County may soon be searching for funds to fill an estimated $5 million gap for schools. Two bills being considered in the North Carolina General Assembly that could impact Orange County funding sources passed the House on Tuesday. House Bills 406 and 436 passed the House ahead of the upcoming crossover deadline. Bills that […]
No Property Tax Rate Increase In BoCC Budget Proposal
Next year’s county budget doesn’t include a tax increase, but officials say it’s getting harder to balance the budget using reserve funds.
Lack Of County Property Tax Increase Could Change
Orange County’s recommended budget doesn’t include a tax hike, but that might change if county commissioners decide to increase school funding.
Soccer Fields and Open Space: Orange County Explores Potential Uses for Millhouse Road Site
Orange County is starting to make headway on a piece of land it has owned for two decades along Millhouse Road.
The Filing Period For 2026 Elections Begins Soon. Who’s Running in Orange County?
As 2025 begins to wind down, many are already looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections across the country — and the filing period for races in North Carolina begins on Monday. Starting at 12 p.m., candidates for federal, state and local offices can file to formally begin their campaigns for the 2026 primary elections […]
›