CMS officials express financial needs to Mecklenburg County as both groups face key losses
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders have started the process of laying out the district’s funding wish list for the next school year.
Part of the CMS money comes from the Mecklenburg County budget.
The county government is one of several funding sources for CMS, as well as federal and state funds. This year, as the district is losing $190 million in federal pandemic funding, Mecklenburg County is dealing with a more-than $20 million loss in revenue.
CMS crossing guard works with kids to help mend her broken heart
But officials on both sides say they are committed to investing in better student outcomes.
In a presentation Wednesday afternoon, CMS school board members laid out their financial needs for county commissioners to help cover the district’s $2.1 billion budget. The presentation detailed estimated needs topping $189 million for the 2024-25 school year. Last year, school administrators asked the county for more than $590 million.
“I think that’s gonna be the biggest challenge, is the prioritization of the needs, how that fits in our strategic plan as we build it now and just have to figure out what’s the most important,” said CMS Vice Chair Dee Rankin.
CMS did land a windfall last year, however, with the passage of a $2.5 billion bond that not all county commissioners were comfortable with. But those funds are specifically to improve school facilities and build new ones.
County leaders are painting a tough picture for their own financial state. Officials say they have less money to spend after Sheriff Garry McFadden stopped accepting federal inmates at the county detention center. The register of deeds office also has a decline in revenue.
“It certainly impacts on your bottom line when you lose $12 million,” Commissioner Arthur Griffin said. “But the county manager is predicting a little over $36 million available for county needs.”
In 2021, county commissioners withheld funding from CMS over concerns of widening achievement gaps among racial groups. As a part of Wednesday’s budget presentation, CMS officials showed what they say is evidence of recovery from pandemic learning loss.
Some commissioners want to see data that shows better proficiency and college- or career-readiness.
“That’s obvious that those gaps aren’t closed and that’s why I’m waiting with bated breath on the superintendent’s strategic plan to try to address not only student achievement, but also closing or eliminating some of those,” Griffin said.
County officials also have a fund balance of $149 million dollars they can use at their discretion. CMS officials will iron out their needs and give Mecklenburg county’s manager an exact dollar request before the end of March.
Are malls thriving or dying? Charlotte ‘prime example’ of a growing divide
“We have a superintendent and she’s struggling to do the best she can by supporting her kids,” County Commissioner Vilma Leake said. “But we must make sure we come up with good recommendations that can help families, but they must spend the money wisely in the school system it has been a problem of not spending money wisely.”
CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill will create a strategic plan to close achievement gaps and improve student performance and her team will come up with a budget recommendation. Then officials will come back to the county with an exact dollar amount that the board of county commissioners will have to vote to approve. The Board of Education will see the first budget presentation on March 12.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
