Board of Education Approves County Budget Request

Ballanrtyne, N.C. – The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education on May 11 approved its 2010-2011 budget request to Mecklenburg County.

The request, part of the district’s $1.15 billion proposed operating budget for 2010-2011, was approved after a lengthy public hearing and Board discussion. About two dozen members of the public spoke at the Board meeting, most of them on some aspect of the proposed budget.

The 2010-2011 budget asks Mecklenburg County for a $15.5 million increase to cover growth, new schools and sustaining operations. The district expects to gain 1,287 students for the 2010-2011 school year, which will add $5.1 million to its costs. CMS is requesting $804,540 from the county to help cover these costs. The district will open two new high schools at an added cost of $8 million, and is asking the county to fund $6.6 million of that. In addition, the county funding request would cover some of the district’s higher costs for program continuation and benefits.

In all, CMS is asking Mecklenburg County for $332.9 million, up from the $317.4 million the district received from the county for the 2009-2010 budget.

“We feel tremendous anxiety over this funding proposal,” Eric Davis, Board chairman, said before the vote. “I call upon our partners on the county commission and in the state legislature to reduce the amount of funding cuts that we face.”

Several Board members proposed amendments to the budget before the vote. Only one amendment was approved. The Board voted 7-2 to remove all funding for CMS TV, the district’s television operation, and then approved the budget with the amendment.

The district’s proposed 2010-2011 budget redirects $3.7 million to pay for new initiatives intended to increase student achievement and improve employee performance. The proposed budget also reflects $12.9 million in state funding reductions.

“While we must cope with the fallout from the financial realities, we also want to keep increasing student achievement,” Dr. Peter C. Gorman, superintendent of the district, said. “These new initiatives will help us do that.”
The district received 56 percent of its funding from the state for the 2009-2010 budget year and 28 percent from Mecklenburg County, with the remainder coming from federal and other local sources. Both state and county funding declined significantly from the levels a year earlier and officials in both places have suggested that this year may also bring sharply reduced funding.

The proposed CMS budget for 2010-2011 includes scenarios that would allow the district to make more than $62 million in additional cuts. If all of the scenarios are put into operation, CMS would make cuts of more than $78 million and reduce its work force by more than 1,000 employees.

The formal budget request will be sent to County Manager Harry Jones on May 14. The district’s budget will not be completed until the state budget is approved later this summer.