PENDER COUNTY — Pender County Schools Superintendent Brad Breedlove presented plans to address its $2.7-million budget shortfall Tuesday after the Pender County Board of Commissioners did not fully meet the school board’s requested budget.
The schools asked for $33.8 million from the county to maintain the district’s current staffing and services. County commissioners voted June 15 to allot $31.9 million as part of their commitment to avoid raising the tax rate.
“I want to remind everyone that the funding that we are receiving from our local government is not sufficient to support free public schools in Pender County,” Breedlove said at a special meeting held Tuesday outlining cuts that will need to take place. “And when that’s not sufficient the only way to do it is to cut services and to cut personnel and that is what we are left with doing.”
READ MORE: Pender County reverts tax rate decision, passes county budget with 2025 reval numbers
To meet the county’s funding, Breedlove proposed a combination of position cuts, decreased substitute funding, and an elimination of professional development funds to reduce the deficit. His proposal was able to reduce the budget shortfall by 91% — to $24,658.67.
Over half of the shortfall will be covered through the elimination of 21 positions. The district confirmed no employee would lose their job, as the positions would be cut from the central office and those employees would move into vacant roles in the schools. These employees currently focus on exceptional children services, instructional coaching and beginning teacher development.
Port City Daily asked a spokesperson with the schools district for clarification on how eliminating positions but moving staff into a new role will help with cost savings but did not receive an answer by press. The district noted cutting 21 positions saves $1.9 million. Breedlove shared the average annual cost per employee comes out to $87,560.38.
“Most of your funding goes towards people,” Breedlove said, sharing 86% of the district’s budget centers on staffing. “There’s not a single position at central office that does not impact our schools and impact classrooms.”
Out of the 10 exceptional children coaches, only two will remain. These coaches provide teacher support, help conduct IEP meetings, and assist in problem-solving to best support exceptional children.
By removing these positions, Breedlove projected a reduced capacity for timely IEP development, early childhood interventions, and less direct assistance for students and families.
Reducing the EC coordinators by 80% moves district focus from “proactive support” to “basic compliance,” he said. Thus, it could result in an increased risk of “due process complaints, state litigation, and costly compliance failures” if mandatory services cannot be maintained.
Other cut positions include instructional coaches, who provide professional development, ensure consistent implementation of curriculum, and back-to-school training. The loss of the coaches means their work will now fall on the shoulders of administrators, such as principals, to pick up.
“We’re gonna have to do as much, if not more, with less. And the only way to do that is with more duties,” Breedlove said.
Also removed are beginning teacher development support roles — they provide mentoring and assistance to teachers starting their careers.
Brittany Moore, principal of C.F. Pope Elementary School, spoke to the impact of the positions.
“The roles are not just administrative luxury, these are essential components of our school improvement,” Moore said. “Investing in public education is investing in the future of Pender County. These students we serve today will become the workforce leaders and community members of tomorrow.”
Aside from loss of support roles and staff, the district presented a recommended 25% decrease in substitute funding, resulting in a cost-saving of $625,000.
To accommodate the reduction, other teachers and staff will be tasked with covering classrooms during shortages, resulting in more teacher burnout, loss of planning time, less efficient school operations and less available time for targeted student support.
Breedlove said, for a district of Pender’s size, it costs around $2.4 million a year to support substitute staffing.
“We have to be strategic. All it takes is one influenza outbreak and something else to happen that we blow through that funding,” Breedlove said.
Additionally, the schools will not receive any professional development funds which saved $180,000.
District spokesperson Bob Fankboner told Port City Daily the concern is Breedlove’s proposed cuts will have long-term impacts on the schools, meaning growth, advancements and student support is at risk.
“If teachers have less planning time, fewer substitutes, less professional development, larger class sizes, or reduced access to instructional and EC support, that creates additional strain on staff and may affect the level of support students receive,” Fankboner said. “For staff, the concern is burnout and retention. Teachers and school leaders will continue to do everything they can for students, but asking them to do more with fewer supports is not sustainable long term.”
In addition to the county providing around 15% of Pender County’s budget, roughly 60% comes from the state and 25% from the federal government. State and local funding largely cover teacher salaries and personnel funds, while federal funds generally go towards Title One schools, student nutrition, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Board member Don Hall said Tuesday the district gets “penalized twice,” as the level of state funding is determined by county investment. The state legislature has a non-supplant rule requiring a county to prove it is making a minimum effort to support schools based on its capacity to do so; if counties don’t, state funding can be prorated. Breedlove said this is why the district is 115th — last place among all North Carolina school districts — in state funding and 113th when accounting for all three sources.
On Monday, the school board requested a joint meeting with the commissioners, scheduled for Wednesday, June 24. Up for discussion is the district’s needs for the upcoming fiscal year. Unlike Tuesday’s meeting, there will be an opportunity for public comment.
Board of education member Beth Burns urged the public to attend Wednesday’s meeting, calling it “one of the most important conversations” the board will have with commissioners.
“If we don’t get some kind of monetary support from our local government, I could see where we get to a point we’re gonna have to increase classroom size and we’re gonna have to make other cuts that support our students’ educations and that’s really hurting me in the heart,” Burns said.
The school board’s goal of the upcoming joint meeting is to clearly state what the district needs to continue its operations and essential services.
Port City Daily reached out to each commissioner for comment regarding the district’s cuts and to ask if they would consider increasing their allocation.
During a phone call with Port City Daily Commissioner Jimmy Tate shared he would be open to any discussion that would allow county schools to maintain their services and overall function.
“I think that sometimes in communication, sometimes the severity of the impact is not always revealed,” Tate said. “I’m hoping to go into this meeting with the discussion to hear about the severity of those and how we can move forward.”
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