Moore County Schools reviews 2025-26 budget, improvement plans and SRO policy

Moore County Schools reviewed the 2025-2026 budget and improvement plans at the Oct. 6 work session.

Assistant Superintendent for Budget and Finance Tina Edmonds explained the budget.

The original budget was $182.2 million, showing a 0.58% increase from the previous year. Most state and county funding increases are for fixed costs, such as scheduled salary increases and state-mandated benefit increases.

The local fund balance allocation was reduced by $1.09 million to $1.86 million because the usual state salary increases have not passed yet. Edmonds said they plan to present a budget amendment for additional fund balance use once a state budget including raises passes in the General Assembly.

The federal budget decreased $646,728 from 2024-2025 and no longer includes the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund released after the 2020 COVID epidemic.

The existing Capital Outlay Fund contains $3.2 million in fund balance appropriations, with $2.2 million reserved for contingencies and ongoing project balances. This is the fund used for land purchases, renovations, repairs and infrastructure.

The School Nutrition Fund has a $2.6 million appropriation to offset increased costs for salaries, benefits, food, and equipment. Fifteen schools qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows more students to receive free meals and reduces excess cash reserves.

Moore County Schools maintains a minimum General Fund balance of $2 million to manage cash flow between grant reimbursements and payments. Because the state’s mini-budget did not include raises, a 2% or higher salary increase could drop reserves below the minimum threshold.

On Oct. 13, Superintendent Tim Locklair will recommend the budget and reduce the required minimum fund balance from $2 million to $1.5 to $1 million, depending on an in-depth discussion with Edmonds, to allow for salary increases while maintaining the reserve balance.

“This is a bad road to go down,” Member Pauline Bruno said about cutting the fund balance reserves because the school may not have funds for an emergency.

The 2025-2026 Moore County Schools budget includes $102.4 million in state funds, $41.9 million in local funds, $11.1 million in federal funds, $4.2 million for capital expenses, (which is used for land purchases, renovations and infrastructure), $9 million for school nutrition, $1.5 million for childcare, and $12 million in restricted funds and grants.

The Security Committee selected professional reporters.

Chair Dr. Robin Calcutt proposed bringing the North Carolina Protection Group Security Personnel Contract to the Oct. 13 agenda for a vote, and the board agreed.

On Oct. 27, the Policy Committee will review Policy 3660/7450, Police Officer Program, focusing on Section L: Special Separation Allowance, because the lack of benefits was believed to be a motivational deterrent for applying for employment as an SRO.

At the Sep. 23 Temporary Security Committee meeting, SRO Interim Chief Gooch said police officers did not want to work where they were underpaid, did not receive the same benefits as officers working for the county or cities and that social media ridiculed them.

North Carolina law, including G.S. 162-26 and G.S. 162-26.5, allows sheriff’s departments to provide law enforcement officers to schools through agreements with local boards of education. The statutes authorize sheriffs to assign either paid deputies or trained volunteers with prior law enforcement or military experience as school resource officers. Recent legislation, S.L. 2024-1, set statewide standards for SROs: duties, training, and funding responsibilities when assigned to public or private schools.

Moore Schools has not acted on the statute for the sheriff’s department to provide SROs.

“I talked to [Senator] Boles and feel we are so fortunate we have our own police. I’ve been here a long time. They go beyond the call of duty to make sure things do not happen. I trust them. So, I feel like our parents are happy with our SROs…So why wouldn’t we add one more layer, whether they are armed or not?” Calcutt said at the Sep. Temporary Security Committee meeting.

Improvement Plan

Moore has 22 schools, and according to the 2023-2024 state report, two were low-performing: Aberdeen Elementary (F) and Robbins Elementary (D) Schools, and both schools improved a grade level.

Pinehurst Elementary School is the only A-graded school.

The Comprehensive Needs Assessment analyzes data to identify weak areas in student learning, and instructional methods are revised as needed.

The two-year School Improvement Plan aligns with the Moore County Schools District Strategic Plan with a focus on student achievement and includes SMART goals with actionable steps.

Plans are living documents to facilitate changes based on EVAAS, EOG/EOC results, and other test data.

Under G.S. 115C-105.27 and MCS Board Policy 3430, School Improvement Teams must be elected by secret ballot and include administrators, instructional personnel, instructional support staff, teacher assistants, and parents. Meetings must follow North Carolina’s Open Meetings laws and be conducted at convenient locations to encourage parent engagement.

Each plan must:

Specify instructional practices that increase proficiency and eliminate predictable achievement gaps.

Align with the MCS District Strategic Plan.

Be driven by data, including perception, demographic, and process measures.

In accordance with G.S. 115C-47 and G.S. 115C-105.27, the Board of Education ensures that every principal has established a School Improvement Team and reviews each plan annually. The board, in partnership with the superintendent, supports the development, review, and approval of school improvement plans and provides feedback to principals.

District-level support includes professional learning, process reviews, strategy implementation, and ongoing data analysis. The district conducts process checks, provides explicit feedback on progress, and participates in monthly meetings and retreats. Low-performing and Restart schools receive intensive, written feedback and additional support through NCStar.

School Improvement Teams must post meeting dates and locations on the school calendar and in NCStar, adhere to the 48-hour rule, and maintain public records of minutes viewable through Guest Login. Plans are voted on in Sep., following district review, and submitted for board approval in November.

This process ensures schools maintain transparency, accountability, and alignment with district and state expectations for continuous improvement.

The next school board meeting is Oct. 13 at 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 6, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

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All images provided by Moore County Schools.