PENDER COUNTY — The Pender County Board of Education has asked for a meeting with elected county officials, following last week’s county budget adoption. It resulted in a $2.7-million shortfall from what the board of ed originally asked for, thus leading to potential cuts for public schools operations.
Monday, Pender’s board of education chair, Don Hall, published a letter asking to meet with commissioners as soon as possible to address the fiscal challenges, including how it could impact education needs district-wide.
“The funding level approved for the 2026-2027 fiscal year creates significant concerns regarding our ability to maintain critical services that directly support student achievement, school safety, transportation, exceptional children’s services, academic intervention programs, and the recruitment and retention of qualified staff,” Hall wrote.
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Pender County Board of Education already has a special meeting planned for Tuesday, June 23, at 9:30 a.m., to discuss planning and operational needs following the commissioners’ vote on the fiscal year 2027 budget. The meeting Hall called for will be separate.
“Once the board of county commissioners has had an opportunity to respond, additional information will be shared regarding any potential meeting between the two boards, including the date, time, location, and whether that meeting will be open to the public,” according to Craig Lawson, director of digital learning and media at Pender County Schools.
The county allocated $31 million to the schools in fiscal year 2027. The board of education originally asked for an increase of $4 million in its expense funding from last year to maintain current services and operations; however, the commissioners approved roughly a third of the ask at $1.3 million.
A school board spokesperson said last week cuts would have to be made, though specific reductions have yet to be publicized. Staff and district leaders would be looking at “priorities to determine which needs can be funded, delayed, reduced, or addressed through other available resources” in coming weeks, according to schools spokesperson Bob Fankboner.
In his letter Monday, Hall said the board of education wanted an opportunity to discuss challenges and consequences of only receiving $1.3 million, with the goal to address solutions so employees and students aren’t negatively impacted. Hall added the discussion should result in transparency on how money is spent for public education needs.
“We recognize the fiscal pressures facing the county and appreciate the difficult decisions required during the budget process,” Hall added. “However, we also believe an open dialogue between our boards is essential to ensuring that all decision-makers have a clear understanding of the educational consequences associated with insufficient funding.”
Port City Daily reached out to all commissioners to ask if they supported a joint meeting and why or why not. No one responded by press, but this will be updated should they do so.
Commissioner Jimmy Tate was one of the voices who spoke out during the commissioners meeting last week regarding school funding. Tate was dismayed when the superintendent, Brad Breedlove, relayed Pender County student expenditure ranks 113th out of 115 school systems across the state.
“To hear that we’re ranking at 113 out of 115 while we’re sitting on such a huge fund balance, and I’m not a fan for dipping in the fund balance, but I’m also not a fan of kids going to school with mold in the building,” Tate said.
The board eventually decided to increase its capital investment in the school system from $4 million to $6 million but left the operating expense at $1.3 million.
Read Hall’s letter to the commissioners in full here.
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