Union school board to weigh budget options soon

Now it’s the Union County school board’s turn to weigh in on a county budget that provides about $15.5 million less than what school leaders sought.

On Monday night, county commissioners approved their 2015-16 budget in a 3-2 vote. If the school board wants to challenge the allocation, they only have a week from budget adoption to start that process.

The school board has not discussed the budget vote yet, board chairman John Collins said through a spokeswoman, but it will take up the issue at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday July 7. There’s also a chance he might call a special meeting, Collins later said in an email.

Hanging over the discussion is the specter of the school board’s recently ended lawsuit over the 2013-14 budget allocation. The school board sued for more money, won a staggering $91 million judgment then saw it ultimately overturned on appeal.

That fight also cost taxpayers more than $2 million in legal and related bills, an Observer review found, including nearly $1.2 million for the school board through May and $827,492 for the county through June.

In the new county budget, the school board sought $104 million in operating expenses, a 20 percent increase, and a slight increase in capital funds to nearly $20 million. Commissioners approved $91.9 million in operating and $16.6 million in capital funds.

Speaking after the vote, commissioners chair Richard Helms expressed optimism about how he thinks the school board will react.

“I’d like to think we put forth a good budget that is sustainable for them,” he said. Helms noted that the commissioners also provided money for increasing teacher supplemental pay – $5 million – which was a main objective for the school board.

Still, commissioners voted in May to spend up to $100,000 for a Charlotte law firm to represent them if the school board sues the county over the budget this year.

There’s one more thing to consider. The school board needs to stay on the good side of voters.

The board is seeking nearly $158 million in a bond referendum for renovations, additions and new schools. Commissioners need to approve adding the referendum on the ballot. The earliest voters could see it would be in 2016.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Union school board to weigh budget options soon."