The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education is looking at a new list of budget reductions, after scrapping a plan to immediately take a big chunk out of the gifted specialist program.

At last week’s meeting, the School Board abandoned a planned $2.9 million budget request to the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

That figure included nearly $910,000 in recommended cuts. More than half of those were from gifted specialists.

Advocates for gifted specialists raised an outcry, and members of the board had their own doubts.

After much deliberation, the school board voted to request $3.8 million from Orange County, without the recommended cuts.

That was done with the understanding that the chances of getting that total amount were very slim.

So plans were made immediately to come up with a new list of reductions, based on consultation with parents and staff from all schools in the district.

At Thursday’s meeting of The Board of Education, members will consider a new list of immediate cuts of around $821,000, plus ideas for future cuts.

A list of recommendations from the office of the Superintendent includes making smaller cuts to gifted specialists; reductions at the Central Office; reductions from North Carolina Virtual Public School; and a cut to start-up funding for Northside Elementary.

The goal is to eventually find $2.2 million in cuts, in order to deal with reductions in state revenue. Big cuts in gifted specialists, as well as teacher assistants, may still be on the horizon.

Thursday’s meeting of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Center, located at 750 South Merritt Mill Road in Chapel Hill.

Related Stories
‹
Orange County Board of Commissioners Unanimously Votes for Rani Dasi to Fill District 1 Seat
Rani Dasi is poised to join the Board of Orange County Commissioners this summer, earning a short-term selection by unanimous vote.
'We're in Crisis': CHCCS Board of Education Approves Plan to Limit Classroom Screen Time
When it comes to screen time, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is trying to have better guardrails in the classroom.
With Closure Decision Made, CHCCS Leaders and Glenwood Elementary Community Try to Move Forward
Thursday’s vote by the CHCCS Board of Education ended months of speculation of which of three elementary schools may be discontinued.
Here's What CHCCS Board Members Said About Decision to Close Glenwood Elementary
Most CHCCS Board of Education members shared comments about their reasoning for the conclusion and unanimous vote to close Glenwood.
CHCCS Board of Education Votes to Close Glenwood Elementary School, Protect Magnet Programs
Glenwood Elementary School will close in the fall of 2027, after the CHCCS Board of Education voted unanimously on Thursday night.
CHCCS Board of Education Discuss Criteria for Elementary School Closure Study, But Decision Still Unclear
The CHCCS Board of Education recently met to continue its conversation on the future elementary school closures.
CHCCS Board of Education Approves Site Plans for Carrboro Elementary Replacement Project
Carrboro Elementary School is not in talks for which CHCCS elementary school will close, with plans to replace the existing building instead.
CHCCS Board of Education Weighs Closing 2 Elementary Schools Amid Enrollment, Funding Declines
The CHCCS Board of Education began its latest round of feedback on Feb. 5 about how to approach closing at least one elementary school in the face of waning enrollment and funding challenges.
N.C. House Committee Grills CHCCS Leaders Over 'Parents' Bill of Rights' Policies; District Maintains Compliance
CHCCS leaders appeared in Raleigh to testify to lawmakers about whether the district is following the Parents' Bill of Rights law.
Former School Improvement Team Parent Chair Melinda Manning Runs for CHCCS School Board
Melinda Manning, formerly of Carrboro High School's school improvement team, detailed her candidacy for the CHCCS Board of Education.
›