Lee County School board adopts development impact resolution

On May 12, the Lee County Board of Education approved a resolution urging county leaders to require school impact studies for major developments while confronting more than $3.1 million in cuts tied to federal funding losses, insurance costs and rapid growth pressures.

The “Resolution on Responsible Growth and School Impact Mitigation” asks county leaders to mandate school impact analyses for major developments because of concerns about rapid growth straining schools and infrastructure.

For mitigation, the board asked the county to consider land, funds, and infrastructure improvements. It supports a school impact fee update and better county-school coordination on development needs.

As the May 9, 2026, article, “Quicksand: no legislation for development approval and school capacity,” shares, “North Carolina does not mandate that developers, municipalities and counties collaborate with public school systems to prevent overcapacity. This legislative gap creates an imbalance between growth and infrastructure, especially in fast-growing counties such as Moore, Lee and Harnett, where rural land is diminishing.” The responsibility for responsible growth depends on local governments in cooperation with school districts.

“People invest in communities based on their schools. This presentation by our chair is absolutely spot on,” Member Marus Mason said about Chairperson Sherry Womack’s proposal for the resolution.

The Lee County Board of Education confronted eliminating administration and teacher positions and other reductions to save $3,150,511.

The district’s strategy emphasizes the state’s likelihood of support for next year while it protects core instruction.

The district plans on saving $1,035,900 in teaching allotments, $942,000 by reorganizing elementary intervention positions, $137,914 by cutting two administrative positions, $237,750 by cutting middle school Spanish, $286,632 with non-renewal of certain curriculum [K2 online/digital] resources and $45,000 by shortening the summer conference and new teacher academy.

“Public schools are the only ones having conversations about cutting,” Superintendent Chris Dosenbach said about the nation’s economic strain.

“I don’t care if this comes back to me,” Womack said. “We have yet to have a five-on-five meeting. We do not have county commissioners talking to the school board. The [county] liaison isn’t even here. Decisions are made by our developers, decisions that affect every child in this county. When we decide to put a priority on parks over the education of our children which is the foundation of our county, that’s where we’re going to run into some huge issues.” She explained that the district needed a grant for an auditorium, missing classrooms, and how not having communication with county commissioners jeopardized the district’s capabilities.

Dosenbach said working without a state budget all year and several funding cuts forced tough decisions.

The district must incur $500 per employee for insurance costs, which sums to about $650,000, without state support.

The district projects a 25% decrease in federal funding.

A change in the poverty rate at federal rate due to census data, which fell below 20%, means a loss of about a million dollars and impacts grant eligibility.

The Perkins Funding cut 45 months of funding for teachers, which is about a three-million reduction.

The district is required to teach core basics, but to cover the funding losses, they must eliminate some teacher positions.

They will not allow out-of-state field trips.

Womack asked about a priority list if funding increased.

Dosenbach said professional development was a priority because it had a big return in investment.

Womack said the performance audit had shown that they saved the district a good deal of money.

Vice-Chairman Alan Rummel said he agreed on the core curriculum focus, but if they “had more input in conversations on residential growth they may have been able to have advanced warning.”

The board approved the $877,978.56 contract for a new language arts program funded through state curriculum funds for 2026-27.

In Sept. 2024, Lee County Schools formed a committee of 21 teachers and administrators from all eight elementary schools to review and choose a new English Language Arts curriculum because the district’s current program had reached the end of its adoption cycle. The group studied several research-based programs, compared reading difficulty levels to North Carolina End-of-Grade standards, and gathered feedback from parents during a March 2025 open house.

After reviewing rubric scores and community input, the committee selected Amplify’s Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum as the strongest option because of its higher academic rigor, knowledge-based literacy approach and emphasis on printed materials rather than digital learning.

The district delayed implementation for one year to allow time for teacher training and monthly professional development during the 2025-26 school year.

The board approved retaining Tharington Smith LLP as the board’s attorney firm.

The board recognized the two-year Leaders in Lee program, which included: Ryan Stutts, Amanda Holmes, Kirby Forbes, Kelsey Harrison, Kayla Brockhoff, Christina Orellana, Katlynn Roberts, Jordan Edwards, Matthew Charles, Jessica Gross, Shannon Willaert, Eliza Spruiell, Cherice Washington and Dee Prince.

The Leaders in Lee program works to develop future principals.

For the first time, Lee County Schools was recognized as a Purple Star district for military family support. There are only 13 districts with this distinction.

The board approved the 2026-27 calendar, viewable here.

During public comments, Lashonda White with the Sanford Lions Club said the Leo Club asked for teenage participation from age 12 to 18. Leo means leadership education opportunities and includes the fair, and breadbasket support, the Salvation Army bell ringing, and the Sanford soccer league.

The last day of school is May 22, with an early release.

May 14, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

Stephanie M. Sellers

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