The Wake school board says it needs millions of dollars next year for new schools, new students and employee benefits, and that's not including heating and air conditioning needs.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Wake County school board and county commissioners discussed upcoming funding challenges for the school system.
Other WRAL Top Stories
School leaders are also bracing for federal funding cuts, but they're not sure what those could be.
"We really don't know," said David Neter, school system chief business officer. "It's changing on a daily basis."
The district has lost about $5 million for next year already.
Neter presented commissioners with the budget constraints he presented to the school board in December, expecting $29.1 million more for new students, new schools and employee benefits. State-legislated employee pay raises could add millions more, Neter said. Just a 3% increase in base pay could cost the county $17.5 million more to factor in pay for locally funded employees, as well as locally funded salary supplements that would be based on bigger base salaries.
The school system didn't present an estimated proposal for catching up on some of the more than $200 million in deferred maintenance for heating, ventilation and air conditioning needs that have led to some school closures when equipment malfunctions. The district is also struggling with a lack of staff to respond, said Mark Strickland, system chief facilities and operations officer.
"We are not nimble," he said, noting that the district may need to consider adding more maintenance positions in the future, though pay isn't high enough to easily hire for them.
At least 28 early dismissals have occurred already this school year because of nonfunctioning heating or air conditioning on especially hot or cold days.
Earlier this month, the Wake chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators called for a bond referendum to improve facilities in the school system, citing HVAC issues and other backlogged maintenance issues.
The boards will continue meeting at a later date to discuss, among other things, finding a way to ensure more affordable housing in the county that's putting stress on school system workers.
On Tuesday, commissioners asked several questions about the cost of HVAC repairs and any anticipated federal funding impacts.
Wake County Public School System Superintendent Robert Taylor plans to propose a budget March 18 to the school board, which will decide what to pose to commissioners. Commissioners typically approve a budget in June and have provided tens of millions of dollars in increases in recent years.
County Manager David Ellis, who will help guide the commissioners' budget planning, said he's in the budget planning stage, too.
"I wish you all well, and we will be in contact with you all, but it is a challenge, because there are a lot of wants out there," Ellis said.