This is a really long post…but answers the $602 MILLION QUESTION! Where do the $$$ go that CCS receives each year?

CCS is the 5th largest school district in NC behind Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, and Winston-Salem/Forsyth. CCS has 86 schools, 49,183 students, and 5,833 full-time employees.

The proposed budget includes State, Federal, and Local funding sources for a total budget of $602 million. State resources comprise the largest revenue sources for the district at 60% or $362 million, Local at 19% or $91 million, and Federal at 8% or $47 million.

Cumberland County does NOT have the business and industry like the top 4 counties in our state thus property taxes and sales taxes help make up the shortfall. Yet CCS MUST provide a sound education to ALL 49,183 students regardless. Cumberland County Board of Education sought a $3.5 million increase in local funding from the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, bringing the total allotment to slightly over $91 million.

This funding primarily targets investing in our educators with critical cost-of-living and anticipated legislative salary increases and covering inflationary operating expenses. These additional funds, along with the usage of the fund balance, will also enhance educational programs, align with strategic priorities, address pay scales, and support needs at Tier 1 Performance, Accountability, Support, and Empowerment (PASE) schools, which are designated as low-performing by the state.

Instructional services account for the largest portion of expenditures at 71.9% percent of the budget. This includes expenditures for school-based instructional programs, personnel, and health benefits.

System-wide Support Services account for 17.5% of planned expenditures and includes support for school-based programs. This would be administrative, technical personnel, and facility support to include maintenance and custodial services along with supplies, and utilities.

The remaining 10.6% percent includes other ancillary services and capital outlay expenditures that support district operations as a whole.

CCS receives $4.3 million from DOD's Impact Aid to meet the needs of 14,375 military-connected students. That's $299.13 per student.

The $21 million in NC Education Lottery revenue is lumped together with the $362 million received from the State Public School Fund.

The growth of charter schools does impact the school district and the resources available to serve its students. Charter school enrollment between 2017 and 2023 increased in Cumberland County by 56 percent. State and local funding must follow these students; therefore, the school district’s budget is reduced annually. State funding is adjusted each year by the growth in students leaving the district to attend charter schools; locally, the district is required to share its Current Expense appropriation proportionally. For the fiscal year ending 2023, payments to charter schools exceeded $2.47 million. Between 2013 and 2023, Cumberland County Schools has paid charter schools over $16.7 million of the Current Expense funding.