Orange County NC Website
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Education Funding in Orange County <br />In North Cazolina, each county is responsible for supplementing state appropriations to public education. <br />Laval current expense appropriations are allocated to each school system based on an equal amount per <br />pupil. In addition, counties provide funds to each system for recurring and long-range capital projects. <br />School systems in North Cazolina do not have separate taxing authority and are not allowed to issue debt <br />for school construction and renovation projects. Therefore, issuance and repayment of long-term debt, <br />such as general obligation bonds and private placement loans, are the responsibilities of county <br />government. Many city school units in the state also have special district taxes. These voter-approved <br />taxes, levied within the unit's boundaries, further supplement county funding. <br />Historically, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners has given top priority to funding public <br />schools. The County's number one ranking in total education funding in the state evidences this. The <br />chart to the right compares Orange <br />County's total 1998-99 General ; <br />Fund appropriations far education <br />to several other counties in the <br />State. As the graph indicates, <br />Orange County's total spending <br />per pupil is almost twice the State <br />average. sa,ooe <br />sz. ao <br />Recently, the Board of Courny sz,oee <br />Commissioners asked the County si~oo <br />Manager to look at various s i,oeo <br />alternatives far funding public ssoo <br />education in Orange County and to so <br />a~up on~.s [1.quw w,r aw Alm~w hw Cw•N ANw~~ <br />develop parameters for future A•~ <br />funding. Thts Ieport COritalnS ^OrsngeCountyrSutroundingConnties~SrateAverage <br />possible funding models that the <br />Board may choose far the Manager <br />to use as he develops the annual <br />recommended budget far schools. While this approach guides staff in developing the annual budget, each <br />year the Board can consider departures from the recommendations based upon particular one-time <br />circumstances such as start up costs far new facilities. <br />Staff contacted several counties throughout the state to determine what, if any, funding formulas are <br />currently in use. The counties responding to the survey included: <br />• Alamance • Brunswick • Chazlotte- <br /> Mecklenburg <br />• Chatham • Durham • Forsyth <br />• Guilford • Lincoln • Moore <br />• New Hanover • Pitt • Scotland <br />• Sung • Wake <br />Eight of the responding counties use formulas rn other guidelines to determine school funding (as shown <br />in Figure 2 on the following page). Staff found few similarities in county funding for school systems. <br />Some counties use a formula for current expense funding only while other counties use a formula to <br />