Pender County schools discuss next year’s budget

PENDER COUNTY (WWAY) — The Pender County Board of Education held a special meeting Monday to discuss its proposed budget for the upcoming school year, with a focus on funding levels and how dollars are distributed across the district.

The proposed budget totals $38 million, an increase of nearly $3 million from the previous year. Much of the county’s funding comes from taxpayer dollars, making local revenue a key factor in the district’s financial planning.

A major point of discussion was per-pupil spending — the amount of money allocated on average for each K-12 student. For the 2024-25 school year, Pender County ranked near the bottom statewide, coming in 113th out of 115 districts, well behind neighboring New Hanover and Brunswick counties.

Board members also reviewed how funding could be allocated across different categories as part of the proposed budget.

Superintendent Dr. Brad Breedlove said funding levels are not equal across North Carolina and are heavily influenced by local economic factors.

“You would assume that every kid gets the same amount of money no matter where they are in the state, well it’s not true. It’s not true, and there’s a couple of factors that go into that, and basically, what it is is your property evaluations and tax, that tax 10-year tax rate, and I know that’s a sore subject matter right now, but what is that tax rate?” said Breedlove.

As the budget process continues, board members say local property values and tax rates will play a key role in determining how much funding schools ultimately receive per student.