NEW HANOVER COUNTY — New Hanover County Schools has announced six of its highest level employees will receive 7.7% raises, in line with the average teacher increases included in this year’s state budget after originally budgeting only a 3% salary change.
The result is a $34,000 deficit between what the district budgeted for the salary line items versus what it is now contractually obligated to pay.
Though the district recently had to recoup a $2-million-deficit due to the state’s raises, an NHCS spokesperson told Port City Daily the district will be able to locate the funds within its current budget, including through Superintendent Chris Barnes’ forgoing his 3% raise and return his $1,000 state bonus to to the school system’s operating budget. His current salary is $272,944.
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“Those funds will instead remain in the Superintendent’s operating budget and be directed toward district-approved initiatives that support our students, staff, and schools,” Barnes wrote in a memo to the board of education on Aug. 7.
Affected employees include:
- Assistant Superintendent of Operations Rob Morgan (currently making $144,281)
- Chief Academic Officer Robin Hamilton (currently making $163,077)
- Deputy Superintendent Julie Varnam (currently making $169,602)
- Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Digital Learning Dawn Brinson (currently making $154,783)
- Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Jennifer Geller ($148,759)
Additionally, Barnes is recommending the board also approve the same 7.7% raise for Chief Financial Officer Ashley Sutton, who currently makes $155,891. Her position is not tied to state law and instead filled “at the will of the superintendent.”
Barnes said he has provided senior staff with the opportunity to return their bonuses as well; the process will remain confidential, also shielded from him.
According to the district, imprecise language in the employees’ contract, coupled with the state’s passage of higher-than-usual raises, led to the snafu.
In a memo, now shared with media, Barnes explained the human resources department initiated a review of senior staff employment contracts to evaluate the impact of the state budget on compensation.
The initial findings, shared with the board at its July 7 meeting during closed session, found inconsistencies between the employee contracts and addendas added during the contract extensions; these date back to 2014.
The memo provides an update on the situation; the addenda includes language tying the employees’ annual salary increases to the average teacher salary increase. Contracts executed in 2018, 2019, and 2022 included the provision along with a 3% cap, but beginning in 2023, the 3% cap had been omitted.
The language did not present a problem until now, however, because the state has not agreed to teacher raises higher than 3% until it passed its budget in June 2026.
While Barnes claims no policy or procedural violations were made between 2023 and 2026, he is recommending human resources standardize its language and conduct periodic reviews to ensure alignment with the school board’s policy intent.
The superintendent is also recommending senior staff receive a contract extension in September with a “clearly defined provision of a 3% cap on annual salary increases to eliminate ambiguity in future years.”
“These actions cannot change the past, but they can help ensure greater clarity, consistency, and accountability moving forward,” Barnes wrote. “I believe that maintaining the public’s trust requires not only following the letter of our agreements but also continually evaluating whether our practices reflect the standards we expect of ourselves as public servants.”
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