THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 23, 1995 TAG: 9506230539
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CURRITUCK LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
Currituck County Schools will get an increase in funding next year, but it won't be the 22 percent the School Board had hoped.
The Board of Commissioners late Wednesday night approved a $41.5 million budget for 1995-96, which begins July 1. Of the $15.9 million in the general fund, about $4.6 million will be appropriated to county schools.
The Board of Education had requested a 22 percent increase in student funding to pay primarily for new or expanded programs. The board's request totaled $5.1 million.
After lengthy debate Wednesday, commissioners voted 3-2 to give the public schools an 8 percent increase, which is about $550,000 less than the school board had asked for. Commissioners Ernie Bowden and Gene Gregory cast the dissenting votes.
All other items in the new budget were passed Wednesday without changes, a county official said Thursday. They included a 9-cent ad valorem tax increase to pay forconstruction of a new high school in Barco. The new tax rate will be 65 cents for every $100 valuation on real estate properties.
The budget also includes a $1 monthly telephone surcharge for an enhanced 911 emergency service.
County and schools officials spent Thursday lobbying legislators in Raleigh for $538,392 in small schools funding that is in jeopardy.
Next year Currituck schools are expected to exceed the 3,000-student cap for the state funds, awarded to school districts with small pupil or ``low wealth'' populations.
The shifting of money during the 1992-93 school year to pay for air-conditioning the schools also has posed a problem for officials. The state Department of Public Instruction last week notified Currituck that the school system was being accused of using the state supplemental fund to supplant local contributions during that year.
Currituck officials this week denied supplanting the funds and said the county has increased education funding annually. by CNB