When the Vance County Board of Commissioners convenes next week to adopt the FY 2025-26 budget, teachers and classified staff in Vance County Schools will be among those listening closely to learn whether they will be getting a bigger supplement or – in the case of classified staff, a bump in pay.
The commissioners discussed increasing the amount the school district gets from the county for this purpose at a budget work session on Monday, June 16.
It will add about $1.2 million to the total county budget, which stands now at more than $66 million.
VCS Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett said local funding provides vital support for areas not covered by federal or state sources. Teacher supplements is one such area.
Bennett told WIZS News that certified teaching staff currently get a supplement of $2,500 – that amount hasn’t gone up since at least 1999 – that’s 25 years.
In its funding request to commissioners, the Vance County Board of Education had asked that the supplement be doubled, and that classified staff get a 10 percent salary supplement.
Commissioners discussed providing $1,000 for certified staff and a 2 percent increase for classified staff.
“This supplement is funded through local appropriations and is included in the annual budget approved by the Vance County Board of Commissioners,” Bennett said. “Though the amount of teachers has decreased with fewer students in the district, expenses have increased in many areas, most notably insurance rates, state-mandated pay raises for locally funded positions, and increased payments to charter schools,” she stated.
Bennett acknowledged the collaboration between the school district and county leaders with regard to educator compensation, calling it “an encouraging step in the right direction.”
She said she and school leaders “remain hopeful that additional support will be appropriated, inclusive of our classified staff.”
Local supplements help attract and retain teacher talent, Bennett said. School districts in larger counties can offer larger supplements, making it difficult for smaller districts to keep teachers.
Bennett said that once the county has approved its budget, 30 percent of the money appropriated to Vance County Schools is distributed to charter schools. “Currently, there are 21 charter schools who receive funding from these appropriations for 2,113 students,” Bennett said.
Data from 2023-24 shows Vance County ranks 101st among the state’s 115 Local Education Agencies In North Carolina for local per-pupil expenditure, with $1,748.12 per pupil.
Granville County ranks 33rd at $2,918.94 per pupil, Warren County ranks 21st at $3,405.61 per pupil and Franklin County is 52nd at $2,531.59 per pupil.
This information comes from the N.C. Public Schools Statistical Profile, found in the following link: http://apps.schools.nc.gov/ords/f?p=145:34:::NO:::