Caldwell County Schools board approves year-end amendments and adopts interim 2026–27 budget

The Caldwell County Board of Education voted to approve a package of year-end budget amendments and adopted an interim 2026–27 budget during a June work session.

Assistant Superintendent for Finance and CFO Mr. David Johnson presented amendments 14 through 20, which he said would allocate new or additional revenue across multiple funds. He summarized the measures as including $2.2 million to the State Public School Fund; $755,454 to the Current Expense Fund from timber receipts and related revenues; $1,500 to a Federal Grant Fund; $3.5 million to the Capital Outlay Fund for debt service and school buses paid by the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on the district's behalf; $1.8 million to Child Nutrition from USDA and summer feeding grants; $63,000 to the Wraparound Fund; and an additional Special Grants Fund allocation (amount unclear in the transcript). "If these budget amendments are approved as presented, it'll bring the total budget for [the district] for the year ending to about $155 million," Mr. Johnson said.

Board members asked how much the district would draw from fund balance. Mr. Johnson estimated the district would use about $4.1 million of fund balance this year, down from a previously budgeted $5.9 million, and cited a roughly $2 million reduction in low-wealth funding as a major factor. He cautioned that remaining invoices for utilities and other items that arrive after books close would also be paid from fund balance.

Johnson also noted county commissioners had approved an additional $500,000 in local funding to help offset the cost of school resource officers (SROs). "The commissioners did approve an additional $500,000 in their local budget to help us offset the cost of SROs," he said.

Because the state had not finalized its budget, administrators asked the board to approve an interim 2026–27 budget under North Carolina General Statute 115C-434 so the district could run payroll for July (and, if necessary, August) until the state allocates funds. Multiple board members clarified that approving the interim budget does not replace the full budget process and that administrators would return with detailed projections when the state figures are available. The board approved the interim budget and the series of year-end amendments by voice votes.

The board directed staff to provide more frequent and detailed budget status reports in the coming year so members can identify departments that are overspending earlier in the fiscal cycle. The board also noted it expects to receive final state budget figures and a more complete district budget timeline in the weeks after the state legislative action.