Alamance County commissioners and school board members met for over seven hours on Monday to resolve a budget dispute, but couldn’t reach a compromise.
The Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education voted last week to challenge the county’s budget allocation for the district, which fell several million dollars short of its request.
School officials say they need more money in order to stay competitive in terms of pay and staffing. The district also requested about $18 million for capital improvements, including building projects and teacher laptop replacement. The county appropriated about half of that.
"We respect the heavy lift it takes to balance the county budget and the needs of our growing community," Superintendent Aaron Fleming said at the start of the joint meeting. "We are here in the spirit of partnership to find a compromise on funding our schools."
Alamance County Commission Chair Kelly Allen said she appreciated the opportunity for discussion.
"The county remains committed to responsible stewardship of public funds, and we look forward to a professional exchange focused on the facts, the law and the needs of our community," she said.
But after hours of closed session negotiations, the mediator, Greg McGuire, shared this verdict:
“It is my determination that the parties are at an impasse on the issue of the current expenditures portion of the budget," he said.
In terms of the capital funding, McGuire said he believed the two parties could try to continue negotiations after Monday’s hearing.