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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Schools grow, dollars dwindle

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Every year, more students show up at New Hanover County schools than the state forecasts, but starting with the 2015-16 school year, the state might not allocate funding for students who unexpectedly enroll.

A provision in the 2014-15 state budget requires the state board of education to fight for state funding to accommodate population growth in schools beyond state projections, said New Hanover County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tim Markley during a Dec. 16 presentation to the New Hanover County Board of Education. The board met to discuss legislative and budget priorities for the upcoming school year in preparation for a Jan. 8 meeting with local representatives in the N.C. General Assembly.

While the provision does not prevent the state from continuing its current practice of awarding money for surplus growth, Markley said he is worried the new rule will eventually become a way to cut corners and save money.

“As that institutional memory fades, we’re going to end up fighting for every dollar just to deal with growth, not even to get the money we’re asking for enhancements beyond growth,” Markley said. County schools already struggle to cover the cost of textbooks, classroom supplies, updated technology and staff development, Markley added, since the state whittled more than $1 billion in classroom funding from its budget formulas over the last six years.

New Hanover County Schools welcomed more than 300 students over the state growth estimate for the 2014-15 school year.

Board member Tammy Covil questioned whether the county expects school growth to level out in the foreseeable future. Assistant Superintendent of Operations Bill Hance said the county has expected steady growth for the last 20 years, and will likely surpass a projected growth estimate of 3,000 new students by 2020 two years early, before any new schools funded by the recently approved $160 million bond referendum open.

Funding shortfalls and legislative restrictions also pose a problem for the county driver’s education program, another priority the school board plans to discuss with the local delegation in January. The 2014-15 state budget eliminated funding for driver’s education programs in school, effective beginning the 2015-16 school year, while also limiting the amount schools can charge for students who still wish to participate to $65 per student. Markley said it costs between $250-$300 per student to offer the program, which could eat close to $1 million from the county schools’ budget each year.

“We cannot operate the program on $65 a head. It will cost us anywhere from half a million to $750,000 above and beyond what we have in our budget,” Markley said. He said the legislature needs to restore funding for the program or allow school districts to tweak the fee structure to make it work.

The Jan. 8 luncheon with state representatives is scheduled to take place at 11:30 a.m. in the New Hanover County Board of Education Center.

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