After budget showdown, CMS asks for tens of millions in new county funding
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools presented “a very focused” budget to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, but school officials left before answering questions because of a scheduling conflict.
A pivotal part of CMS’ 2022-2023 $2.1 billion operating budget is $578.4 million from Mecklenburg County — an increase of about $40.4 million over the current year.
“This is a very tight request,” Board of Education Chair Elyse Dashew told the Observer. “It aligns with our goals. This is what we really need in order to get our students on track.”
Dashew said CMS trimmed what it could and looked “under every rock” to present commissioners with an acceptable request. Last year, the boards butted heads over the 2021-22 budget request, with the county threatening to withhold $56 million until CMS developed a strategic plan to overcome racial disparities and gaps in college readiness.
The controversy triggered a legal showdown that ended in mid-summer with county government reinstating the $56 million.
“A year and 10 days ago, the full board sat down for the first time with their governing coach and expert to do some very close examination of their management practices in response to the community concerns that they were not focused on student outcomes,” Commissioner Leigh Altman said after CMS’ presentation. “They admitted that they had spent between zero and 5% of their time on student outcomes. That was a key concern of the community and that frankness and that candor matters.”
Altman said the school board’s work builds trust and shows responsiveness to “the heart and soul” of the community’s concerns last year.
The coming year’s budget includes CMS’ strategic plan for academically struggling students — improve Black and Hispanic students’ third-grade reading scores, high school math scores, and do a better job of providing equal opportunities for all students, particularly Black and brown students.
To do that, CMS says, it needs the county appropriation to move teacher salaries to the highest in the state, provide raises to a diminished teacher assistant corps and maintain facilities. The investments, officials say, will positively affect students’ experiences and outcomes.
“Thank you to every teacher and staff member who didn’t bail during COVID,” Commissioners Vice Chair Elaine Powell said. “It’s been a very unnerving time.”
Dashew: CMS needs to raise pay
Of the $40.4 million increase the district is requesting from the county, nearly half is for “key investment requests,” Dashew said. CMS wants to earmark $7.9 million for a 10% increase in the county’s teacher and certified staff supplement as well as $6 million for a pay increase for teacher assistants.
Dashew said CMS wants to raise minimum pay for teacher assistants from $15 an hour to $16.50 and adjust experienced staff in accordance with the market rates.
“We have a 20% vacancy rate in teacher assistants,” Dashew said. “There’s never been a time than right now when we need teacher assistants. They are underpaid. We must bring them up.”
Commissioner Pat Cotham said $16 an hour “isn’t going to do it.”
“We should be talking about $20 an hour for teacher assistants,” Cotham said. “You’re never going to recruit them at ($16 an hour).”
Dashew said another $4.9 million is needed for preventative maintenance on CMS facilities and equipment.
“It reduces the risk of system breakdowns and emergency repairs,” Dashew said. “We really need about $15 million, but we wanted to be good partners in this process.”
CMS funding requirements
Dashew said roughly $21 million of the district’s increased request is to cover the costs of state mandates.
Estimated state-driven salary increases for teachers and retirement and health benefit increases will require $10.8 million in new funding, district officials say.
CMS also is required to pay for any student who attends a charter school and lives in Mecklenburg County. Charter school enrollment is expected to increase, with 1,563 new students. So, new charter school pass through payments are expected to cost $5.5 million.
A pair of CMS schools will open for the 2022-23 school year: Palisades High School and Mint Hill Elementary School. Staffing, maintenance and operating costs for the new schools is estimated at $4.6 million.
“We are blessed to be opening a new high school and a new elementary school,” Dashew said. “But we can’t open shiny new schools with no people, no electricity. It’s essential. We have to cover these things. If we can’t, we’ll have to find that $21 million somewhere else.”
A timing issue
Commissioners asked questions after CMS’ presentation, but they weren’t answered Tuesday because of a scheduling conflict.
Commissioner Vilma Leake asked whether the district has a new plan for children in CMS’ 42 lowest performing schools. Leake made controversial comments at an April county budget meeting after a student literacy update. Leake criticized the lack of progress being made on student achievement in CMS, saying, “Every parent in this community ought to take out a warrant and have every educator arrested and put in jail for not seeing that their children are not given a quality education, college ready.”
Commissioners Chair George Dunlap asked, “Given that this board has developed its budget under the previous superintendent, why should we have confidence that the information being presented is in fact what is best for student outcomes?”
The school board fired former Superintendent Earnest Winston on April 19. Hugh Hattabaugh was named the interim superintendent the same day.
Dunlap also asked, “If the budget request is fully funded what can we expect in terms of outcomes for students next year?
Tuesday’s meeting began at 2:30 p.m. and also included a budget update from Central Piedmont Community College. The CMS board was scheduled to have a closed session meeting at 4:30 p.m. and its regularly scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Dunlap said school board members tried to negotiate a different time or different date in case Tuesday’s commissioners meeting ran long, but were told “No.” School board members left the commissioners meeting early and could not answer questions.
“I didn’t want anybody to be upset about them leaving,” Dunlap said, “because I expressed my concern about being disappointed at coming to present the budget meeting and not being able to respond to the questions.”
A draft of the budget schedule states County Manager Dena Diorio will present her recommendations to the commissioners on May 19. A public hearing on the Mecklenburg County budget is scheduled for May 25.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
