Daryll Warren, Sampson school board chair, Allen McLamb, county commission chair, and Dr. Linda Brunson, Clinton City school board chair, signed a funding formula agreement, which increases the county’s funding of the two school systems to 25 percent of total revenues.
County commissioners, Clinton and Sampson school boards OK funding formula
Sampson commissioners and members of the Sampson County and Clinton City school boards joined together to sign a funding formula agreement for schools. The board chairs, seated (l-r), Daryll Warren, Sampson Board of Education; Allen McLamb, Sampson Board of Commissioners; Dr. Linda Brunson, Clinton City Board of Education; signed the agreement first, then it was attested by the superintendents and Interim County Manager Jeffrey Hudson.
Both school system superintendents, Dr. Jamie King, left, and Dr. Wesley Johnson, right, signed a formula funding agreement, along with Interim County Manager Jeffrey Hudson at the county commissioners meeting on Monday night.
It’s been talked about for months, and finally, the Sampson County Board of Commissioners, Sampson County Board of Education and Clinton City Board of Education have unanimously approved a funding formula that would increase the county’s funding of both school systems from 23.1 percent to 25 percent of total revenues.
The Clinton City school board approved the formula agreement on May 1, the Sampson school board approved it during a special called meeting on May 5, and the county commissioners approved it during their meeting right afterward, also on May 5.
“This is one of the most significant policies to come before this board, probably in your tenure,” Interim County Manager Jeffrey Hudson told the county commissioners.
Hudson shared a couple of sentences from the proposed policy, also called the annual current expense funding agreement. “That’s what most folks would think of as the standard operating budget of each one of these school boards,” he explained. “The funding formula says that the Sampson County Board of Commissioners agrees to fund Sampson County Schools and Clinton City Schools a pro-rata share of the total amount based on the most recent student population count of each school district, as determined by the greater of the first two months of enrollment in the school year. Such an amount will be given in equal monthly installments beginning on July 15 of each year.”
Right now, he added, the county is giving approximately 23.1 percent of revenues from property tax and sales tax to the two school boards. The new agreement would set the sum at 25 percent.
“Budgetary certainty is at the heart of this policy,” Hudson said. “Budgetary certainty in that the school systems would know what they’re getting and budget certainty in that you would know early on in the process so that the county knows what it would be allocating in its budget for the two school districts. So we’re talking about looking back at the preceding calendar year, just prior to when you’re adopting your budget, and then you can determine with certainty just how much money is going to each Board of Education. So, the Board of Commissioners or their designated staff would provide to both Sampson County Schools and Clinton City Schools that total exact sum of referenced revenues and tax revenues received by Sampson County government, and 25 percent of that 12-month sum would be the pro-rata funding determined by student population. Both school districts will provide those population numbers to the county.”
The agreement extends through June of 2030, unless one of the parties delivers written notice terminating the agreement prior to the July 1 renewal date. The agreement could also be extended on a yearly basis after 2030, Hudson said.
“This is a historical moment,” he added. “There are not many counties in North Carolina that have a jointly adopted funding formula for schools.”
After the commissioners unanimously approved the funding formula, the chairs of each board signed the agreement, while Hudson and Superintendents Dr. Wesley Johnson and Dr. Jamie King attested the agreement.
“I am excited and deeply grateful that our community has once again prioritized public education,” King stated. “Our county commissioners recognize that we are currently ranked 104th out of 115 school districts in per-student funding, and they stood up to say: we must do better.
“We hear that call, and we will answer it,” he continued. “We will strive for better — for our students, our staff, and our communities. This bold decision will allow us to expand course offerings, provide more mental health supports, and continue pushing for better compensation for the incredible staff who serve our children every day.”
Johnson expressed those same sentiments about the decisions of the boards. “I could not be more excited with the outcome from the county commissioners meeting last night,” he said on Tuesday. “The funding formula signifies so many things, but at the forefront is unity, support and appreciation for the ongoing work of the public school systems here in Sampson County. As someone who has devoted his whole adult life to public education here in Sampson County, I am beyond thrilled for the commitment and investment of our county commissioners and interim county manager into the lives of our current and future students, staffs, and families. When we invest in public education, we invest in the future of our community and economy. Sampson County will be a better place in five years because of the efforts of the Sampson County Commissioners, Clinton City Board of Education and Sampson County Board of Education. The funding formula provides a transparent metric of funding accountability that provides our two systems with information we need to develop long-range planning and strategic educational priorities.”
Content Writers Anthony Goodman and Carson Kriger contributed to this report.