Minutes 04-30-2026 Joint Meeting With School Boards

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53 and then construction documents. The goal is to begin construction in spring 2027, with an opening in fall 2028 or 2029. He said the project team has been meeting with the Town of Carrboro and NCDOT and remains on target. Vice-Chair Fowler congratulated both school districts on their numerous successes. She noted that as a pediatrician, she frequently hears from students that AVID is their favorite class, and said it is transformational for them. She expressed appreciation for all the fiscal tightening, acknowledging it took a lot of work and was not fun. She described the current financial climate as a panic-inducing situation in terms of financial realities at both the state and federal levels, but said the county would do everything possible to try to help schools continue to thrive. She added that continued advocacy at the state and federal levels is necessary. She was excited to see updates on the planned new schools. Commissioner McKee congratulated the districts on their focus on CTE. He congratulated Rodney Trice on acknowledging the possibility of school closures based on the declining student numbers. Commissioner Carter echoed gratitude for all the hard work taken on by both school districts to take on structural changes that have been and will continue to be painful. She said she appreciates them thinking strategically and looking forward. She agreed it was exciting to see the new school designs. Commissioner Bedford congratulated Principal Jason Johnson on being named National Principal of the Year, noting a proclamation would be forthcoming. Commissioner Bedford also commended the superintendents on their honesty with the community and their staff regarding student enrollment and upcoming changes. She recounted attending the recent community meeting about the Carrboro Elementary footprint and praised the detailed engagement with neighbors on issues including flooding, multimodal paths, and bicycle safety. She asked about the continuation budget figures and whether they reflected a cumulative 7% increase over two years, given that the prior year's approximately 3% raise had not been distributed and was being held in reserves. Jonathan Scott responded that while no raises beyond step increases had been applied, the funds had been partially consumed by increases in benefit costs, including state retirement and health insurance costs. He said he could not recall the exact prior year continuation figure, but noted it was somewhere around $3.2 million. He stated that if the district had to implement the full 3% salary increase today, it would cost $2 million for the year. He clarified that in planning the current budget, both he and Rhonda Rath had to do their due diligence and assume worst case scenario and plan the 4% on top of the 3% increase. Commissioner Bedford asked what NC House of Representatives' proposed budget includes. Chair Hamilton invited, Brian Link, President of the CHCCS Association of Educators to the podium to answer Commissioner Bedford's question. Brian Link stated that there are three proposals currently outstanding: the House proposal averages 8.7%, the Governor's latest proposal (his third) is at 11% across the board, and the Senate proposal is closer to the House but still higher than the 3-4% being assumed by the financial officers. He said if there's action, it's going to be larger than the conservative estimates that the district financial officers have proposed. Commissioner Portie-Ascott offered additional kudos to CHCCS for its AVID program and CTE programming, referencing a tour she and Commissioner Carter had taken. She also shared that during a Black History Month read-in at Carrboro Elementary, one student made sure she knew he did not want his school closed. Sarah Smylie, OCS School Board member, clarified that the money received by the districts in the prior budget year — which fell short of the full 3% request — was being held in anticipation of a possible retroactive state action, but noted that OCS already spent $700,000 of it on the mandated step increases, and that inflationary increases and rising insurance costs had consumed additional portions.