BY KARISSA MILLER

The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to adopt the $290 million budget resolution for the 2023-2024 school year.

The district receives funding from local, state, federal and other sources.

Revenue sources

♦ State of North Carolina: $147 million
♦ Iredell County: $56 million
♦ Federal Funding: $26 million
♦ School Nutrition: $9 million
♦ After School Care: $1.3 million
♦ Other special revenue funds: $17 million
♦ Capital Outlay: $32 million
♦ Scholarship: $35,000
TOTAL: $290 million

Chief Finance Officer Adam Steele shared some significant expansion items from the local budget, which is the funding that comes from the Iredell County Commissioners.

The items include:
• A 4-percent pay increase for all employees and step increase will cost the district $850,000.
• Teacher attendance supplement of $100 per month for no absences on student days will cost $1.2 million for the current year with two payments.
• Additional security money for sporting events and increases in SRO costs total $150,000;
• Continuation of the planning period stipend, which is $40 a day, is estimated to cost $150,000 to $250,000.
• Expansion of contracted custodial contract and sub expenses totals $105,000.

The Iredell County commissioners increased the district’s per pupil allotment from $2,056 to $2,223.

The total beginning budget is $290 million, which includes $11.9 millions of federal COVID funds. Federal COVID funds were $27.6 million in 2022-2023 and $52.4 million in 2021-2022.

“We’ve done a good job planning and adjusting for these increases as ESSER (COVID) funding has started ending,” Steele said.

The district receives funding based on enrollment figures or Average Daily Membership (ADM).

“Our ADM is 118 lower than the state projected. Our current ADM is 20,553 with the state allotted ADM of 20,671,” Steele explained. “We have considered the potential state reduction from the overstated ADM projection in our state budget.”

SCHOOL CALENDAR VOTE DELAYED

In other business, the board voted to postpone adopting the 2024-2025 school calendar.

I-SS Director of Accountability, Testing and Student Information Laura Elliot presented two calendars for the board. In January, they will vote on Option 1 or Option 2.

Under the Option 1 calendar, the schools will begin on August 12, 2024, and the last day of school would be May 23, 2025. The first semester would end prior to the winter break. Students would attend school for 176 days or 1,056 hours.

Option 2 would have a start date of August 26, 2024 and the last day of school would be on June 10, 2025. The first semester would end after the winter break in mid-January. Students would attend school for a total of 179 days or 1,074 hours.

The school calendar is among the most contentious issues in education. The state law requires N.C. schools to starting late August and end by mid-July each year. The law was passed by the General Assembly in 2004.

School districts have been pleading with lawmakers to provide flexibility as students must return
to school after winter break and take exams. It also misaligns with the local community college calendar.

As a result, some school districts have opted to ignore the school calendar law all together this past school years, including Iredell-Statesville Schools.

OTHER BUSINESS

Also, during the meeting, the board:

• Approved the bid proposal at West Iredell High School for track updates, which includes adding a synthetic turf field, converting to a six-lane Mondo track, upgraded stadium lighting to LED with new panels, cages and lighting brackets. The project cost is $3.1 million. The district is proposing using $1.1 million in capital funds and $2 million in state allotted capital funds to complete the project. On October 2, GeoSurfaces Southeast Inc. was awarded the Design Build RFQ for the remaining athletic stadium upgrades for Iredell-Statesville Schools. This is the same company that completed the stadium upgrades at NIHS.

• Heard a second reading and approved Policy #3540 Comprehensive Health Education Program, it adds a provision in Section A prohibiting instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality in kindergarten through grade four. The school system has never taught gender identify, but the state is making it clear that this is what the district follows, explained I-SS Chief Elementary Education Officer Jonathan Ribbeck.