Cumberland County Schools is down more than 1,200 students this school year, a decline district leaders say could cost the system millions in future state funding and lead to fewer teaching positions.
During the district’s first Budget and Finance Committee meeting of the year, Associate Superintendent of Business Operations Jay Toland said Cumberland County Schools is down 2.57% in enrollment—a loss of 1,242 students—bringing the total student population to 47,177.
In North Carolina, most public school funding is allocated based on average daily membership (ADM), a statewide measure of the number of students enrolled over time.
In previous years, districts were funded based on projected enrollment for the upcoming school year. State law now funds districts based on the prior year’s actual ADM, meaning a decline in enrollment this year can reduce allotments for the following year.
Toland said a sustained decline in student numbers would have a direct impact on state-funded positions across the district.
“With fewer children, there will be fewer teachers throughout the district and fewer positions,” Toland said. “We will make sure the allotments carry that out.”
Toland said the district received about $8,000 per student in state funding last year, a figure that translates to roughly $10 million based on last year’s funding levels and the current enrollment decline.
Toland added that because the state budget has not yet been finalized, state-funded pay increases have not yet taken effect this school year.
Where Did The Students Go?
The district said that it is working to better understand where students have gone as enrollment declines across the system.
Toland said CCS can track those who enroll in charter schools, noting that the district maintains address-level data for those students. But it’s harder to identify students who choose other schooling options.
“Once either they go to homeschool or private school, it gets a little more difficult to ascertain that information,” Toland said, adding that the district can follow up with records requests, but that does not always result in complete data.
Toland told board members the enrollment decline is not unique to Cumberland County, noting that many large districts across the state are experiencing similar drops.
“If you look at other large districts, Durham County is down, Iredell-Statesville is down—most large districts are down like us,” he said.
Despite the statewide trends, Toland says addressing the issue locally is a priority. He added that social workers are also working to identify students who may be out of school entirely, calling the issue one that the district is actively monitoring.
Toland said district leaders will continue monitoring enrollment trends as funding decisions for the next school year take shape at the state level, noting that current student counts will factor into future allotments.
“If this is a blip and those students come back next year, the state will give us that money back,” Toland said. “If we see growth, we’ll be able to hire those teachers and fill those positions once we actually have that headcount.”
The next school board meeting will be held Jan. 13.
Education reporter Dasia Williams can be reached at dwilliams@cityviewnc.com