Cumberland County Schools will receive $105.8 million in county operating funding next fiscal year after Cumberland County commissioners unanimously approved the county’s final budget Tuesday.
It’s roughly $2.07 million more than the district received last year, while also advancing a $610 million long-term school facilities funding framework tied to future school construction, deferred maintenance, and campus modernization projects. But district officials say nearly all of the new operating increase is already committed before the school year even begins.
During a school board work session held less than an hour after the county vote, Associate Superintendent of Business Operations Jay Toland said the district originally requested roughly $110.3 million in county funding—a $6.5 million increase from the current year—meaning commissioners ultimately approved approximately $4.5 million less than what district leaders initially sought.
Instead of funding new district priorities, nearly all of the additional local funding will immediately go toward covering existing operational costs that district leaders say are unavoidable.
Toland said district leaders entered budget season expecting to fund a broader list of improvements if commissioners approved the full request.
“We’re going to get an increase of a little bit over $2 million in the current expense,” Toland told board members Tuesday afternoon.
Because the district received significantly less than the full funding request, officials said they are now narrowing those plans and focusing primarily on existing operational obligations rather than additional improvements they had initially hoped to fund.
Where the Additional $2 Million Will Go
District officials quickly outlined how the newly approved county funding will be spent.
According to Toland, the roughly $2.07 million increase will be divided into three primary areas:
- $500,000 for rising utility costs
- $390,000 for increased charter school obligations
- $1.18 million for principal, assistant principal, and state-mandated employee pay increases
District officials said a portion of the county funding increase will automatically be redirected toward charter school payments, since North Carolina requires school districts to share a proportional amount of local current expense funding with charter schools serving students from Cumberland County.
The remaining funds will primarily help cover employee pay increases already built into next year’s budget.
The district’s approved budget resolution for fiscal year 2026-27 places total spending at roughly $660.4 million across all funds, with local current expense funding accounting for $120.68 million of that total budget.
Additional Budget Pressures
District officials also warned board members Tuesday that the district’s newly approved budget may still require adjustments later this summer once North Carolina lawmakers finalize the state budget.
Among the largest potential changes, Toland said, is that district leaders may need to pull an additional $875,000 to cover a possible one-time employee bonus tied to the state budget, which would include both employee salary increases and a one-time bonus.
Because only certain district employees are funded through North Carolina’s state salary schedule, he said the district may have to cover the remaining employees using local or federal funds.
District leaders may also need to reappropriate roughly $1.36 million for technology and network upgrades connected to a federal reimbursement program that helps schools cover internet infrastructure costs.
At the same time, Toland said the recent closures of two schools could help the district reduce fund balance use by roughly $1 million due to operational savings.
During Tuesday’s discussion, Board Member Mary Hales asked how much the district is actually expected to save from the closures.
“So you’re saying by closing two schools, all we’re looking at is saving a million dollars?” Hales asked.
Toland said it is smaller than many people assume because most staffing costs move with students.
“You save that annually,” Toland said. “You have to remember, the teachers follow the children. The teachers and teacher assistants follow the children.”
Instead, the district primarily recoups money tied to building-specific positions and operational overhead.
“So you save money on the building-specific staff: data managers, bookkeepers, media,” Toland said.
“We may look to reduce fund balance by a million dollars because, as we talked about at length, every time we close a school, we save about half a million dollars—an efficiency savings,” Toland said.
Toland added that enrollment numbers could also affect the district’s final financial picture heading into the new school year.
“If we end up having more students next year than what we have this year, the state usually funds that,” Toland said Tuesday.
“So don’t worry if we have more children show up. The state in the past has funded that.”
County Approval Advances Long-Term Facilities Plan
Tuesday’s final county budget vote also moved forward Cumberland County Schools’ broader $610 million long-term facilities framework, expanding the county’s previously established $460 million school capital plan.
That earlier framework already included $300 million for deferred maintenance projects and $160 million for future school construction projects, both of which county officials had already been planning as part of the district’s long-term capital needs.
The expanded $610 million proposal adds an additional $150 million tied to Cumberland County Schools’ proposed replacement of E.E. Smith High School, a project district leaders have repeatedly identified as their top construction priority.
Before Tuesday’s vote, commissioners spent part of a county budget work session Monday debating whether to move forward using the district’s expanded $610 million planning model or continue relying on the county’s earlier $460 million framework.
Commission Chair Kirk deViere and Commissioner Henry Tyson both voiced support for the expanded long-term investment, while Commissioner Glenn Adams and Vice Chair Veronica Jones said they preferred sticking with the county’s existing framework.
Despite those concerns, commissioners unanimously approved the county’s final budget Tuesday, allowing the school system to begin moving forward with early capital planning tied to future construction projects.
During Tuesday’s board work session, Toland said roughly $30 million connected to the county’s long-term facilities plan is expected to “pass three reimbursement resolutions, one for E. Smith, J.W. Coon, and our school enhancements or deferred maintenance.”
Toland said the district also continues setting aside roughly $7.5 million for smaller equipment and facility-related purchases not covered under the county’s larger capital framework.
“We also need $7.5 million to buy smaller consumable things like our band instruments, different things of that nature that are not included in that huge list,” Toland said.
