ACS closes budget gap ahead of new school year

Asheville City Schools (ACS) Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said the district was able to close its $5.7 million budget deficit just in time for the new school year, largely through cuts in the central office and by consolidating the district’s two middle schools.

One employee’s role was downgraded within the central office, several others had their hours reduced and two part-time receptionist positions at the central office were eliminated, according to a memo Fehrman sent to the Asheville City Board of Education. Both receptionists moved into other jobs within the schools, said Kim Dechant, ACS chief of staff.

“While we have had to make some adjustments in our staffing, everyone who has wanted to continue their employment with Asheville City Schools has been able to continue in a position,” Dechant said.

“We deeply regret that this is on the agenda,” board member Sarah Thornburg said of the reduction in force Aug. 12. “We’re very aware that this affects people’s livelihoods and their families’ resources, and it’s just terrible. With cuts in state funding, we cannot balance our budget and we’ve been through a lot of options, and this was one of them. So I just want to acknowledge, on behalf of the board, with deep regret, that this is on the consent agenda.”

After a $140,000 budget increase from the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and a $3 million allocation from the district’s reserve fund, ACS still needed to find $2.6 million in savings to balance its budget. That number grew to $3.7 million when Fehrman included about $500,000 for vital student support specialists and about $600,000 to get the former Montford North Star Academy middle school ready to house the district’s alternative programs and student support services department. The Cougar Academy and Education and Career Academy at William Randolph is slated to house 40 students when school starts Thursday, Aug. 29, Fehrman said.

Savings were largely found from consolidating the district’s two middle schools — $1.3 million — and central office cuts — $1.2 million. Fehrman said each department in the central office found savings in addition to cuts in contracted work, such as landscaping.

The seven members of the district’s executive cabinet, including Fehrman, will forgo a statewide 3% raise this year, saving the district about $26,000, Dechant said.

Budgeting for next school year starts early, as ACS and Buncombe County Schools have a joint meeting scheduled with the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Thursday, Aug. 22, to get on the same page ahead of next year’s budget, said Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus.

Achievement goals

Fehrman outlined her district work plan for the upcoming year, which included ambitious goals, particularly for Black student achievement.

“We will raise academic performance for our Black students by 50% or more. That is a huge leap, a huge growth, but it’s time that we say we have to make a difference. This is our core focus,” Fehrman told the board.

To help achieve that goal, the district held a “Beyond Diversity” two-day professional development day in June to “help staff understand the impact of race on student learning and investigate the role that racism plays in institutionalizing academic inquiries,” according to Fehrman’s presentation.

“You may learn a lot about racism in our country, racism in systemic, institutional ways. But how do you talk about it? How do you start breaking down those barriers where you can lean in and have a difficult conversation with someone and help see things from multiple perspectives? So it is a great tool that we are going to be using as we move forward with systemic, equitable transformation,” she said.

ACS has long struggled with gaps in test score achievement between its white and Black students, earning a worst-in-the-state designation in 2017.

Fehrman also said she’s aiming for all schools to meet or exceed growth in all student groups, based on standardized testing scores, in the 2024-25 school year.

Additionally, all staff members will have a strong sense of belonging in their schools, know what is expected of them and have the tools to be able to meet expectations, she said.

School district consolidation update

As independent contractor Prismatic Services continues its work on the school district consolidation study, the public will get a say at a slew of community engagement meetings next month.

Buncombe County, in collaboration with ACS and Buncombe County Schools, will host nine drop-in meetings at schools, libraries and community centers throughout September to give residents a chance to chime in on what a potential consolidation could mean for them. There will be an online forum Monday, Sept. 23.

Board Chair George Sieburg expressed frustration at the times Prismatic chose to host the meetings at the two ACS schools on the schedule, Hall Fletcher and Isaac Dickson elementary schools.

Community members are invited to drop by those schools from 3:45 to 6 p.m., which Sieburg said is too late after the school day ends at 2:30 p.m. for parents who are picking up their kids but too early for many working parents to attend.

“Who is going to appear at these public forums, at the times that they’ve chosen?” he asked.

Mark Dickerson, assistant superintendent of human resources and ACS’ liaison to Prismatic, said members of the ACS community could go to any of the nine drop-in meetings, not just the ACS schools, and the times were staggered at locations across the county in order to give as many opportunities as possible to parents and staff to attend.

Board member James Carter worried that some wouldn’t understand the drop-in format, which asks participants to only participate for 15-30 minutes at a time, and therefore not participate if they couldn’t make it to the beginning of the meeting.

Dickerson said he would bring the board’s concerns back to Prismatic and Buncombe County for consideration.