Cabarrus stopped school budget ask before it started. 1 commissioner regrets it
Cabarrus County commissioners are facing growing backlash after voting to block school officials from presenting their budget last week, a move one commissioner now says was a mistake.
The board unexpectedly voted 5-0 on April 14 to remove Cabarrus County Schools’ budget presentation from its budget meeting agenda and direct staff to keep funding at last year’s levels, citing concerns about a proposed increase that exceeded what commissioners say they had communicated to school leaders. School officials had been prepared to present a budget that, depending on state funding decisions, could increase the district’s request for county funding by more than 8%. But commissioners said they told the district for months they would not support an increase above 4.5%.
The decision to cut off the presentation before it began became the focal point of Monday night’s commission meeting where residents criticized the board for shutting down the discussion.
Commissioner Jeff Jones said Monday he now regrets that decision. “I was wrong. That’s not how we do business. So I will admit that mistake and apologize, we should have at least heard them out,” Jones said. “There’s nobody up here who doesn’t want to fund schools, but we are in a situation where we have to manage the money that we have. We have a state that doesn’t have a budget… nobody on this board wants to raise your taxes.”
Jones said his vote was driven by frustration after reviewing a funding proposal that exceeded the board’s expectations. He said the board should have still heard from school leaders in a public setting. He is open to the school board coming back to the county with a new budget, or “something we can live with.”
His comments marked the only public break from what had been a unanimous vote last week; other commissioners stood by the decision and the process that led to it.
The school board approved its budget on April 13, one day before leaders were asked to leave the table at the April 14 county meeting. There has been no school board meeting since then.
School district says it needs more money from the county
This year’s dispute comes as both the county and school district have been grappling with mounting budget pressure. Cabarrus County Schools last year faced a roughly $11 million deficit tied to enrollment growth, rising costs and lower-than-expected revenue. District leaders warn uncertainty around the state budget continues to make planning difficult. At the same time, county officials in December projected a potential $67 million deficit by 2031 as expenses outpace revenue.
Commissioners say the school district was repeatedly told to keep its request within a 4.5% increase — a limit they say reflects broader budget constraints facing the county, including rising costs and uncertainty around the state budget. During last week’s meeting, Commissioner Ian Patrick said the proposal presented by the district went well beyond that threshold and reflected concerns about how the school system was prioritizing spending.
In its proposed budget, the district outlined funding for additional social workers and student support staff, communication upgrades for school buses, a Spanish-language interpreter for families and an increase in teacher supplements, among other needs. It is not yet clear how the district will operate if the county does not reconsider.
Local funding accounts for roughly 27% of the district’s operating budget, and holding it at last year’s level would leave an estimated $8.5 million shortfall between revenue and projected expenses, district spokesperson Phil Furr said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. Addressing that gap would require difficult decisions, potentially including reductions to staffing, programs and student services.
“We were disappointed that the budget presentation was removed from last week’s agenda, as we believe it is important to maintain open dialogue and transparency throughout this process,” Furr’s statement said. “We anticipate ongoing discussions with the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners and remain hopeful that there is still time to reach alignment before the county’s budget is finalized in mid-June.”
The gap between what the district says it needs and what commissioners say they can afford was top of mind for speakers Monday night, who told commissioners keeping the budget the same as last year could have consequences for students. Multiple speakers urged commissioners to reverse course and allow school officials to present their budget for the good of students.
“For this board to remove the superintendent, CFO and board chair from the meeting with no discussion due to, quote, serious concerns about operations, showed yet again, that a majority of this board is more concerned about asserting your power than doing the work of governing,” said resident Dan Redding.
Others warned holding funding flat without hearing the district’s needs erodes trust and leaves key decisions about staffing, resources and student support happening without transparency. They called on commissioners to reopen the conversation.
“The reality is simple, flat funding is a cut,” said resident Thomas Monks. “When costs keep rising, enrollment grows, utilities rise, safety measures cost money, diesel prices continue to soar, staffing shortages continue, holding funding at last year’s level does not maintain services – it erodes them.”
District policy, commission clash on transgender student rights
The Cabarrus budget debate also unfolded alongside a separate emotionally charged discussion: how the school system handles transgender students, particularly around bathroom access.
At the April 13 school board meeting, multiple parents and community members urged the board to adopt a policy barring transgender students from using bathrooms that do not correspond with their assigned sex at birth. Instead, school board attorney William Isenhour said federal law and Title IX requires districts to avoid policies that could be considered discriminatory, pointing to a 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found it unlawful to force transgender students to use bathrooms based solely on biological sex. He said Cabarrus County Schools does not have a separate bathroom policy and instead handles situations on a case-by-case basis while working to comply with state and federal law.
At the start of Monday’s county meeting, commission Chair Laura Blackwell Lindsey referenced concerns raised by parents and voiced support for keeping transgender girls out of girls bathrooms.
“The five commissioners on this board, we see you, we support you, and we will stand for you,” Lindsey said.
That statement – and the commissioners physically standing in response – drew both support and criticism from residents. Some argued the board was focusing on cultural issues while avoiding a public discussion about school funding.
“When you all stood up at the beginning of this meeting, you stood up for everybody but the transgender students. You need to stand up for all of them,” said Rick Hoffart, a local pastor.
Jones pushed back on the idea that he was targeting specific groups of students by standing with the other commissioners against transgender students using their preferred bathrooms. He also said he knows that the Cabarrus County commissioners do not represent the demographics of the county entirely, since they are all white and mostly men, and that could cloud his opinions.
“I will stand for every child in the school system. I have no problem doing that, and I will fight for each and every one of them,” Jones said. “We need to protect our children.”
