On today’s show, we’re talking about funding for the public schools in New Hanover County Schools — over $300 million dollars a year, and hundreds of millions more for capital needs. That money comes from a complicated assortment of federal, state, and local sources — meaning three different levels of political uncertainty when it comes to funding.
This year, the district faces what several board members described as a triple whammy – a reduced county budget, a state budget in limbo, and long-term uncertainty around federal funding – and the fate of the Department of Education.
And then there’s capital needs, like the nine-figure proposals to rehab or replace New Hanover High School. The campus has suffered generations of under-investment and deferred maintenance, and those chickens have come home to roost. But that’s only part of the district’s facilities needs, which could reach a billion dollars.
So, on today’s show, we’re going to unpack where the money is, and isn’t, coming from, what the budget shortfalls mean, and some suggestions for addressing the problem.
Links for the show:
- As NHCS superintendent faces a multi-million-dollar shortfall, key policy makers remain quiet
- NHHS overhaul: Decades of deferred maintenance, private planning meetings, and big price tagsNHCS Capital List
- NHC Board of Education hears options for pre-K funding cut, including possible school closure
- At a NHC NAACP meeting, community members say "no" to selling Mary Washington Howe pre-K
- Experts and advocates say the child care industry needs more public support to survive
- Cape Fear leaders talk about policies that impact social determinants of health
- Excel Learning Center receives five-year Head Start pre-K grant, to open spots later this fall
- Ask a Journalist: What’s going on with the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement?
