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HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93011_0335 (2)NCGS §1150-429. Approval of budget; submission to county commissioners; commissioners' action on budget (b) The board of county commissioners shall complete its action on the school budget on or before July 1, or such later date as may be agreeable to the board of education. The commissioners shall determine the amount of county revenues to be appropriated in the county budget ordinance to the local school administrative unit for the budget year. The board of county commissioners may, in its discretion allocate part or all of its appropriation by purpose function or project as defined in the uniform budget format. NCGS §115C-429. Approval of budget; submission to county commissioners; commissioners' action on budget (cont d.) (c) The board of county commissioners shall have full authority to call for, and the board of education shall have the duty to make available to the board of county commissioners, upon request, all books, records, audit reports, and other information bearing on the financial operation of the local school administrative unit. Yarborough said the people of North Carolina never set up boards of education and boards of commissioners to be business partners. He said, instead, the boards of commissioners were to be a funding source for the boards of education. He emphasized that the commissioners were not the primary funding source because the State of North Carolina had this responsibility. Yarborough said the Constitution of North Carolina dictated there would be a uniform system of education, and the only mechanism for establishing that type of system was through a statewide program of education. He said what had happened across the state, however, was that "not this year, not last year, not ten years, but historically, the State of North Carolina had failed in its obligation to this board of education, to the Wake County Board of Education, to the Moore County Board of Education, to the Hoke County Board of Education, and to the other counties, to fund the programs that they say we should have and the people need." Yarborough said that to fill the gap or shortfall created by the state, many counties had resorted to absorbing the costs. He said, "Teacher supplements, unfortunately, are a necessary evil due to the state refusing to pay the teachers, and they are state teachers, enough to attract teachers to North Carolina." Attorney Yarborough said that since the state wasn't adequately funding the salaries for the teachers and principals, the counties started "bumping up" their funding, and the situation had become an "arms race." He said the Leandro case pointed out that if a uniform system were implemented, it would cut out the unfair competition between the poor counties and the wealthier ones. NCGS §1150-429. Approval of budget; submission to county commissioners; commissioners' action on budget (contd.) d) Nothing in this Article shall be construed to place a duty on the board of commissioners to fund a deficit incurred by a local school administrative unit through failure of the unit to comply with the provisions of this Article or rules and regulations issued pursuant hereto, or to provide moneys lost through misapplication of moneys by a bonded officer, employee or agent of the local school administrative unit when the amount of the fidelity bond required by the board of education was manifestly insufficient. Yarborough said he felt certain the Iredell commissioners had a deep felt concern for the county's children and their educations, but they also had other obligations to help in achieving the educations. He said the schools and communities where the children lived had to be patrolled by the sheriff's department. He said the children had to have access to public health services along with social services programs to keep them free from abuse and neglect. Mr. Yarborough said there were many other governmental responsibilities that aided the children in obtaining an education. He said these were some of the requirements or responsibilities the commissioners had to attend to outside the school budget. Yarborough emphasized, however, that it was the school system's budget that needed to be discussed -- not the county's. NCGS §115C-431. Procedure for resolution of dispute between board of education and board of county commissioners (a) If the board of education determines that the amount of money appropriated to the local current expense fund, or the capital outlay fund, or both, by the board of county commissioners is not sufficient to support a system of free public schoolsthe chairman of the board of education and the chairman of the board of county commissioners shall arrange a joint meeting of the two boards to be held within seven days after the day of the county commissioners' decision on the school appropriations.