Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education Chair Sandy Ellington-Graves, joined by Board of Education members, and Superintendent Dr. Dain Butler, delivered an impassioned speech Thursday afternoon calling attention to the unprecedented financial crisis facing ABSS. She stated, “we are in a state of financial crisis” and issued an urgent appeal for taxpayers and stakeholders to stand up and demand greater investment in public education from the Alamance County Commissioners.
Speaking from an unfinished classroom at Cummings High School that still requires $125,000 in repairs four months after a toxic mold outbreak, Ellington-Graves used the missing walls and resources as a metaphor for the missing opportunities afforded to students in the county. She stated that inadequate investment over the years has "slowly eroded what should be our top priority - giving every child the chance to learn, grow, and pursue their dreams."
Ellington-Graves stated “We didn’t get into this financial crisis overnight.” She pointed to one glaring example of underinvestment: in 2016, the County provided zero dollars in Pay-Go capital funding to ABSS. “We have schools that were built pre World War I and some after World War II. We’re constantly in a pattern of “band-aid” fixes because of inadequate County funding for the three million square feet of school buildings.”
Alamance County has a total county budget of $253,726,384. For this budget year they earmarked $48,827,151 to the school district, which is 19.2% of their total county budget. That amount excludes fines and forfeiture money the District also gets from the County.
Compared to other North Carolina counties, Alamance budgets significantly less with only 19.2% of the total county budget going to ABSS, versus 36% in Orange County and 46% in Guilford.
"This really is a tipping point for us,” Ellington-Graves warned. "After years of financial strain, our school system now confronts a critical budget crisis, one that threatens to undermine the education and opportunities of over 22,000 young students here in Alamance County."
To cover the costs of recent mold remediation, the Commissioners had ABSS repurpose over $17 million dollars that was previously earmarked for critical building repairs and other projects," Ellington-Graves said. "That money was taken from our own state-mandated capital reserves and lottery funds, which simply flow through the County's accounts to our District. Now we urgently need the County Commissioners to make good on the funding they have already committed to us.”
By the numbers:
Mold Remediation: $25.8 million dollars
$18.7 million dollars paid to Builder Services, Sasser Restoration, and testing
Need $6.9 for remaining invoices and restoration of $3.3 million PayGo Funding
Remaining in undesignated fund balance: $102,038
Superintendent Dr. Dain Butler added, "We've already cut over $7 million from our budget. I've frozen all non-teaching positions while we navigate this financial crisis." He also announced the District would be exploring the possibility of combining job duties as people leave or retire, and also cutting some programs currently offered in an effort to restore the District’s fund balance.
Looming cuts represent an unacceptable “last resort,” which is why Ellington-Graves urgently appealed to taxpayers: “the time is now for us to unite as a community once more...Our children need you. Their future needs you.”
She called on taxpayers to contact County Commissioners and stand with ABSS at the December 4th Commissioners meeting.
"This historic lack of investment in ABSS by our County can’t continue if we want to have safe and healthy learning environments for our students."