“Cumberland Strong: United for Student Success” School Board Approves Superintendent’s
Budget Recommendation
Local funding request heads to Cumberland County Board of Commissioners
Fayetteville, N.C. – The Cumberland County Board of Education approved Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly, Jr.’s recommended budget request titled “Cumberland Strong: United for Student Success,” at the regular monthly Board meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Calling for continued collaboration as the district navigates through the aftermath of a global pandemic, the proposed budget reaffirms Cumberland County Schools' (CCS) commitment to the actions outlined in The Cumberland Commitment: Strategic Plan 2024.
Based on Dr. Connelly’s recommendation, the Cumberland County Board of Education is requesting $88.1 million in local funding from the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. This represents an increase of $3.8 million over the 2022-2023 appropriation. The majority of the local funding request focuses on investing in premier professionals and implementing critical cost-of-living increases, anticipated legislative salary increases and an inflationary rise in necessary operating expenses.
“Investing in our premier professionals is crucial to retaining and recruiting world-class educators and staff, ultimately leading to increased student success,” said Dr. Connelly. “ In CCS, we truly have ‘superheroes’ who go above and beyond to support the needs of the whole child. When we invest in our teachers, we are investing in their ability to provide the best education possible for our students. The success of our students is directly tied to the success of their teachers.”
To balance the proposed budget, the district has earmarked over $8.5 million, which would put the district’s unrestricted fund balance at approximately $13-14 million at the end of the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
“This path is not sustainable as the fund balance is one-time money and creates a significant deficiency, if it is continually relied upon to balance a budget,” said Dr. Connelly. “The long-term need resulting from mandated state salary increases is daunting and will require revenue enhancements from the County Commissioners to sustain our premier professionals at the levels our students deserve.”
With the unanimous approval of the nine-member Board of Education, the district’s local funding request will now be submitted to the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners by Monday, May 15, 2023, for consideration.
To learn more about CCS’ proposed budget, visit www.budget.ccs.k12.nc.us.
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