New Hanover County considers increasing school funding to save dozens of positions

Madison Lipe, Wilmington StarNews
Updated ·3 min read
1
Amidst a $20 million budget shortfall, New Hanover County is working with New Hanover County Schools to save some of the positions that could have been cut in the next fiscal year.
Amidst a $20 million budget shortfall, New Hanover County is working with New Hanover County Schools to save some of the positions that could have been cut in the next fiscal year.

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners is considering possible funding that could keep 76 positions that were proposed to be cut as a result of New Hanover County Schools' $20 million budget shortfall.

The budget shortfall is a result of COVID-19 relief money running out, lower state and federal funds due to lower enrollment and prior use of fund balance, according to the county.

The shortfall originally was expected to result in a cut of about 280 positions, and the school district administration delivered a plan to the county that would reduce 170 of those positions by June 30 and save $10 million. That would leave 110 positions still needing to be cut.

Around 80-90 of the positions that are being cut by June 30 are already vacant, according to County Manager Chris Coudriet.

More: New Hanover County school district restricts spending ahead of potential budget cuts

Chief Financial Officer for the county Eric Credle said that in addition to the $96 million start level funding that the county would supply, the county would add approximately $7.6 million to the budget. This would help keep 76 of the 110 positions in the district.

Here’s a look at the positions that an increase in local funds could help keep.

  • 15 classroom teachers

  • 6 teachers for academically or intellectually gifted students

  • 8 enhancement teachers

  • 47 teacher assistants

About $5.5 million of the $7.6 million in local funds would also go toward keeping positions and local employee mandated raises and benefits.

The other $2.1 million of the $7.6 million will go toward contracting for nurses and mental health therapists to keep a nurse in every school and a mental health therapist available for students in every school.

A New Hanover County Schools teacher attends the Invest in New Hanover County Students Rally in March. Her sign reads, "Special Ed matters! The arts matter! Staff and students matter!!"
A New Hanover County Schools teacher attends the Invest in New Hanover County Students Rally in March. Her sign reads, "Special Ed matters! The arts matter! Staff and students matter!!"

More: New Hanover community leaders, students speak out against school district's funding shortfall

The school district still has about $11.4 million of capital funds remaining from prior years that Credle said the district plans to use for projects over the summer. Staff recommended no capital allocation for the next fiscal year.

County staff also recommended a $269 increase per student allocation amount for funding based on average daily membership.

“The five of us up here as well as staff has been monitoring, looking at what the community has been sending to us and explaining what their concerns are,” Commissioner Dane Scalise said. “Those are also our concerns.”

Commissioner Jonathan Barfield Jr. noted that the commissioners and county staff have no authority over what the New Hanover County Board of Education and administrative staff do with the county’s funds.

“It’s important that people understand that we, as an elected body, have no authority over another elected body,” Barfield said.

The New Hanover County Board of Education will meet for a budget work session at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Board of Education Center.

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners will continue to meet to discuss the budget. The budget for fiscal year 2025 will be adopted on June 17 and go into effect July 1.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover County considers budget increase for school district