With State Budget Set, School Districts Inch Toward Final Spending Plans

Now that state lawmakers have finally signed off on a budget, local school districts can complete their spending plans.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro administrators say the school board will be ready to vote in October. Orange County Schools officials anticipate the board will adopt a budget November 23, nearly halfway through the current fiscal year.

The state budget left funding for teaching assistants and Driver’s Education largely intact, meaning neither district will see significant changes in those areas.

While Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools come out of the budget process mostly unscathed, some of the provisions related to salary increases, bonuses and transportation funding cuts will cost the Orange County district $643,000 more than originally planned.

Leaders in both districts are keeping a close eye on House Bill 539 that would mandate the transfer of increased funding from public schools to charter schools.

If approved, Orange County Schools stands to lose $75,000, while Chapel Hill-Carrboro could lose more than a quarter million dollars, some of which would come from special district tax revenues.

The school boards will meet with Orange County Commissioners on  Tuesday to discuss their budget requests. They’ll also discuss how to prioritize the more than $330 million dollars worth of repairs to aging schools in both districts.

The boards meet at 7 o’clock at the Whitted Meeting Room in Hillsborough. You can find the full agenda here

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