Moore: School board faces $60-million-dollar question

UPDATED: The Moore County Board of Education discussed $60 million “missing” operational funds during the June 30 combined work session and regular business meeting.

Member David Hensley said in 2021, the budget was $120 million and in four years increased 50% to $190 million for operational funding with an enrollment increase of 100-200 students.

Yet, payroll raises followed the state mandated 10% increase in pay while the board was told 75 to 80% of expenditures was for payroll.

“So where did all our money go?” Hensley asked about the extra $60 million.

Superintendent Tim Locklair said he did not have the data in front of him for a comparative analysis and could not respond, but inflation was a factor.

The 60-million-dollar question was referred to the budget committee.

The board endorsed the Memorandum of Understandings between Moore County Board of Education and the Sandhills Community College Board of Trustees relating to Career and College Promise program pathways in accordance with North Carolina General Statutes Section 1125C-238.50.

High school student participation in Moore County Schools entering the College Promise program increased from 636 students in 2015-16 to 1,127 in 2023-24.

Chair Robin Calcutt referred Hensley’s request to include blend-ed and home- schooled students in extracurricular activities to the policy committee.

Hensley said referring the discussion and action item was a political act to prevent the public from learning which elected school board members may not support home-schooled inclusion.

Hensley called for a vote to challenge the chair’s referral.

The chair called for a five-minute recess.

“First this was accidentally not put on the agenda and now you are referring it to a committee,” Hensley said as the session closed for recess.

After a five-minute recess, Hensley said he requested his item to be added to the agenda on June 18, but it was not added until the beginning of the work session meeting on June 30, 2025.

Hensley wanted it on the agenda as an action item for board members to discuss and provide guidance instead of committees meeting “in secret,” and the committee presents to the board who disagrees with their recommendations.

Calcutt said she was offended and that committees did not meet in secret because the meetings were open to the public.

“The central office had two weeks to prepare for this,” Hensley said.

“We welcome our blend-ed and home-schooled students,” Chair Calcutt said about including them in extracurricular activities.

Calcutt and Hensley pointed out to one another that they were “out of order” several times.

Member Pauline Bruno said she received a letter from Commissioner Nick Picerno about the orchestra not being inclusive and asked her to fix it.

The board voted to keep Calcutt’s referral for Hensley’s discussion and action item on inclusion for blend-ed and home-schooled students to go to the policy committee.

View Hensley’s presentation here.

June 30, 2025

July 1, 2025, David Hensley posted the following on Sandhills News’ Facebook page.

To be clear, I was not accusing anyone of fraud or embezzlement. I just wanted to know how, when our budget from ~$130 million a year to $185 million per year, we say pay and benefits are 85% of our budget, and we only give our employees a 10% raise over the same time. It doesn’t add up.

Take $130 million number, add 15% to it for wage and benefit growth over the five year period and you have $150 million. Where did the other $35 million go?

Well, I put together a preliminary spreadsheet and found the following:

Because of the intermingling of ESSER/COVID finds, you have to “bookend” the Covid years. That means 2019/20 and 2024/2025 (and still subtract $500k and $5 mil respectively for initial and trailing COVID funds.

Actual findings:

The actual amounts were $131 million in 2019/20 and $185 million in 2024/25. That is $54 million, or 41% increase in five years.

Pay and benefits only went up at most 15% during that time.

Purchased services and supplies share of the budget increased from 12% to 16% of the budget. The amounts doubled from $15 million to $30 million. Purchases derives increased from $6.5 to $23 million per year (see why I don’t want to hire consultants?)

Interestingly, keeping the number of employees constant, payroll and benefits was expected to be $130 million, but the actual was $150 million. That implies additional employees. At $100k per employee, that would be 200 additional employees, are a 10% growth in our workforce. Since are short teachers. That would imply administrators….

but who knows, that is why I asked the question because We The People should know the answer to this fundamental question.

I also want to make this point. It is unsatisfactory to only increase wages 10% when inflation is at 30% and our revenue grew 41%. Absolutely unconscionable to treat your employees and neighbors that way. It is our obligation to make them whole for inflation and the increased cost of living. That is why I have several times in the last two years, brought up revising locality pay in open session school board meetings. Neither the Superintendent, Chair Levy, Chair Calcutt, or VC Davis expressed any interest, nor did Anyone else in the school board carry the idea forward. When you hear Locklair/Calcutt/Davis say they are “for the teachers” always remember they are the ones blocking an increase in locality pay for all MCS employees. I am the one advocating for the increase.

July 2, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers