On Aug. 22, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners called a first-of-its-kind joint meeting within the Asheville City and Buncombe County boards of education to identify the three elected bodies’ shared purpose.
Tag: education funding
Showing 1-9 of 9 results
County Commission candidates make pitches at CIBO forum
Candidates talk about spending, support for education and what regulating short-term rentals should look like.
Letter: A disturbing turn of events for UNCA
“One suggestion would be for our legislature to stop handing out vouchers for private school attendance and focus on adequately funding public schools and universities.”
County passes 2024-25 budget, property tax increase
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 on June 18 to approve a $440 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2024-25. Chair Brownie Newman said the decision to raise taxes is not easy, and this was the toughest budget season he’s been through in his 12 years on the commission.
Local school budgets face ‘greatest emergency’ in COVID-19
As Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Tony Baldwin explained to the county Board of Commissioners during a May 19 meeting, the system’s pandemic response has completely exhausted its $4.6 million rainy day fund — and the schools now project a $2.1 million deficit by the end of the fiscal year.
Buncombe budget up for public hearing at June 4 meeting
Although County Manager Avril Pinder warned commissioners in April that her recommended budget might cause the county to dip below its policy-recommended fund balance of 15%, the projected difference between Buncombe’s assets and liabilities remains over that bar in the most recent version.
Schools seek twice proposed county funding increase
While Buncombe County’s current proposed budget includes nearly $3.6 million in new education funding, total requests from local systems on May 7 came to roughly $8.16 million. That figure includes $1.06 million more for A-B Tech, $2.09 million for Asheville City Schools and $5.01 million in increased funding for Buncombe County Schools.
School budgets face scrutiny at special May 7 commission meeting
Speaking at the board’s April 30 budget work session, Chair Brownie Newman emphasized that education officials shouldn’t count on “automatic” growth of county support. “I think they should have to justify all of it,” he said.
The color of choice: Local charter schools offer options, with trade-offs
Amid the continuing debate over school choice and whether North Carolina should even allow charter schools, people on both sides of the issue seem to agree that Buncombe County’s five charters stand apart from their counterparts across the state. Asheville has about as long a history with charter schools as any Tar Heel city. Francine […]
