Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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10 UCW MAY 18 - 24, 2022 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Cumberland school board approves 2022-23 budget by MICHAEL FUTCH, CITYVIEW TODAY NEWS e Cumberland County Board of Edu- cation on Tuesday night, May 10, unani- mously approved the superintendent's proposed budget for the 2022-23 school year. Based on Superintendent Marvin Con- nelly's recommendation, the board is requesting $88.2 million in local fund- ing from the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. at represents an increase of 6.2%, or $5.1 million, over the 2021-22 appropriation. In other business, the school board voted 5-4 to continue with its optional mask policy. e board is required to vote on the policy each month. Before the regular meeting got under- way, a public hearing was held on the pro- posed closure of Lillian Black Elementary School and Ireland Drive Middle School. No one spoke on behalf of either school, and the board did not take any action on the proposed closures Tuesday night. Budget priorities for the next school term include a minimum wage beginning at $15 an hour for bus drivers and other staff. e money needed to meet the pro- posed salary goals might require a property tax increase by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, the school board has said previously. e school district's local funding re- quest will now be submitted to the county board by May 15 for consideration. e total proposed budget for the school system is $699 million, which is a drop of 8% from 2021-22. e State Public School Fund accounts for the largest portion of the budget at $348.2 million, or 49.8% of the total budget. Federal programs, Enterprise Fund and grants account for an additional $232.6 million, or 33.6%. e federal budget makes up 26.6% of the district budget at $185.9 million. e capital outlay budget is approximately $13.6 million, or 2%, of the district budget. e capital outlay budget is the primary source of funding for buildings, land and improvements, furniture and equipment, and vehicles, according to a release from the school system. is budget is funded by designated sales tax revenues with an- nual allocations from Cumberland County government. e proposed salary schedule complies with a state-mandated minimum wage for all employees and eliminates the salary compression in the present schedule while increasing the local supplement of certified staff by an average of 2%, a release said. e board's Budget and Finance Com- mittee previously OK'd the proposed bud- get by unanimous vote before it was passed on to the entire school board Tuesday. "We remain committed to our students," Connelly said during the board's regular monthly meeting. "Nearly three years ago, we made several commitments, and we de- termined to see them through. While a lot has changed since school in our strategic plan in 2019, our hope and aspirations for our young people have remained the same. "Despite a global pandemic that has ravaged our world," he said, "we remain resolute in the commitments detailed in our strategic plan – 'Together, We Will Rise!' We are reimagining the Cumberland commitment and working innovatively to educate our young people." Much of the budget invests in the sys- tem's workforce, Connelly said. As such, a large chunk of the local fund- ing request focuses on investing in the district's 6,000-plus employees and imple- menting cost-of-living and supplemental increases. e board is seeking approval from the commissioners to launch a fund- ing model to support the implementation of competitive salary and supplement schedules for the district's employees. e superintendent said he was recom- mending that the full board seek ap- proval from the county commissioners to implement the state-required $15 per hour minimum pay for all employees. High-quality educators and staff are choosing to retire and transition to differ- ent careers, he said. Some are leaving for higher-paying career jobs. As a result, he said, it's important that Cumberland Coun- ty Schools remain competitive with other school districts statewide by recruiting and retaining highly qualified employees. e key, Connelly told the board, is col- laboration. "By investing in our pre- miere professionals," he said, "we are invested in the success of our students. It is more important than ever that we invest in our future – the future of our students is at stake. It is imperative that we then move forward with the budget proposal for the Cumberland County Board of Commis- sioners that we can all stand behind." MICHAEL FUTCH, CityView Today. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. www.faytechcc.edu • (910) 678-8400 • admissions@faytechcc.edu Need college credits this summer? FTCC Can help! Second Session Summer classes begin June 13, end July 25. First Session Summer classes begin May 23, end July 19. Use your time wisely, and find your way forward!