CMS to give budget report following expiration of COVID funds

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Charlotte-Mecklenburg School board members will receive a budget presentation Tuesday about how the district plans to handle the loss of $190 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

Superintendent Crystal Hill said $60 million is tied directly to staffing.

On Jan. 31, Hill sent a letter to staff members explaining that the district was doing everything it could to avoid layoffs but that many staff members may be reassigned to new roles.

CMS teachers respond to loss of $190M in pandemic funding

According to Tuesday’s planned presentation, the school system will dissolve 731 ESSER-funded positions. However, the district currently has around 990 staff vacancies. They hope to realign the dissolved positions into those vacant roles.

During the pandemic, North Carolina received $6 billion in ESSER funds, with the bulk of that money going to tutoring programs and technology.

During the remote learning period, each student received an ESSER budget-funded Chromebook. Now, 75 percent of school districts in the state say they aren’t sure how they’ll be able to replace and repair Chromebooks going forward.

The state is currently evaluating which ESSER-funded programs were most impactful and how they’ll proceed now that the funding is gone.

CMS may reduce workforce over impending loss of federal COVID funds

CMS hired a third-party educational consultant firm, TregoEd, to help them navigate the loss of the pandemic funding, which originated in 2020.

CMS staff members will present their official 2023-2024 budget proposal on March 26. Then, they’ll hold a community engagement session and a public hearing on the proposal before board members approve the budget in April.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.