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School board considers new budget process measures

Posted on September 20, 2007September 20, 2007 by Staff

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

The school budget process could run a little more smoothly next year under changes proposed by school officials.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education will consider changes to the annual budget process tonight (Thursday). The school board will present anticipated budget drivers and the budget process timeline to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday.

“We’re trying to get better information to the county commissioners before they hold their winter retreat and make any preliminary decisions about the direction that the budget will take next year,” Superintendent Neil Pedersen said.

“We also would like to see some funding decisions made earlier,” he said, “so that we don’t end the school year with people not knowing whether or not they’re going to have jobs next year.”

During budget meetings this year, school board members, county commissioners and county residents alike called for a better annual budget process.

In January, county commissioners said they hoped to limit this year’s tax increase to equal debt-service payment increases. The county had increased the property tax rate by about 6 cents in each of the previous two years.

The school board had requested a budget increase of $6.8 million. However, the county manager’s recommended budget would have increased funding to Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools by $535,000.

School officials outlined potential cuts to school staff and services if the proposed allocation did not increase, and hundreds of parents across the district spoke at public hearings in support of more funding for schools and increased taxes.

The commissioners revised the recommended budget to increase the allocation to schools. Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools received about $3.3 million more than last year and school budget cuts were not nearly as deep as previously anticipated.

Under the revised budget process proposed by school officials, the school board would present the district’s continuation budget to the board of county commissioners in November.

“We’re trying to provide the commissioners with the opportunity to see what our continuation budget will look like so that they would know the amount of funding that would be necessary simply to maintain the current level of services,” Pedersen said.
The county commissioners are considering changes to the county’s budget process as well. Under the county’s revised budget timeline, county staff would identify and consider potential budget drivers in October, which the commissioners would consider at a retreat in November or December, rather than January.

County commissioners would meet with the school boards in January or February to discuss the commissioners’ budget goals and their impact on school funding.

Pedersen said he would also like to see budget public hearings moved to earlier than May to “avoid some of the last-minute rush.” The commissioners must adopt the county budget by the end of June.

School and county officials will discuss a revised budget timeline at a joint meeting on Tuesday.

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