‘What do we want to save?’: New Hanover County Board of Education discusses budget cuts

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The New Hanover County Board of Education met today to discuss their budget for the upcoming year and where cuts will have to be made. 

The district is facing a $20 million budget shortfall with up to 280 positions that will need to be cut to account for the deficit. 170 of those will be reduced by June 30, while the remaining 110 would need to be cut in in the next 18 to 24 months.

The deficit was bought about after the loss of ESSER funds, which were a part of federal COVID-19 relief efforts.

Some of the positions on the chopping block include academically or intellectually gifted (AIC) teachers and exceptional children (EC) teachers. 

At the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, commissioners considered an additional $5.5 million in funding that could save 76 of those positions; but school board members disagree about how to move forward.

Member Josie Barnhart wants to ask commissioners upfront for more than $5.5 million, while Stephanie Kraybill feels before that can happen, the board needs to prioritize what positions are most important to parents and students. 

“I’m directing our staff to create a budget with a higher ask than 5.5 million dollars,” Barnhart said. 

“What do we want to save? What do we see that we cannot do without,” Kraybill asked the board. 

The board is not currently scheduled for another budget work session. They will again meet for their next regular meeting on May 7.