ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — Alamance County Commissioners agreed to a tax increase in to give more money to Alamance-Burlington School System. It was a decision that took nearly three hours to make.
WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman heard all the back and forth.
It is a decision some commissioners say no one will be happy with but that it was necessary to make. They agreed to a property tax increase of nearly 4 cents.
In turn, the county will give ABSS nearly $6 million of the additional $10.3 million dollars the district asked for.
ABSS said it needs 58-million dollars for things like technology, utilities and pay raises. It's important to note - commissioners said they're not responsible for teacher salaries.
Prior to the meeting, concerned parents and teachers demonstrated outside, hoping the county would give the district what it needs.
"Public education is not an expense, it's an investment. Society is only as strong and cohesive as its citizens and education is a cornerstone of that mission," Local Private Educator, Daniel Ayers said.
ABSS Parent, Ebony Pinnix said, "when a kid's education is disrupted, it's hard for them to learn. It's hard on the parents, it's hard on the teachers."
Tonight's vote was not unanimous. Commissioner Bill Lashley was one of the commissioners who voted against giving more money to ABSS. He said it has to do with trust.
"We understand as a board, we have no oversight of the Alamance-Burlington School System. If we push 58 million dollars across the table, we have our fingers crossed that they spend it the right way. That should not be that way. They should be held accountable for each and every penny they get," Lashley said.
Initially, commissioners voted down the budget proposal but after lots of talk, commissioner Craig Turner proposed the tax increase that led to the board ultimately passing the budget.
"We don't have great schools yet but I think if we had not given ABSS this money, I think we run of allowing them to continue to go down and down in a spiral they may not be able to recover from," Turner said.
Since commissioners approved just 60-percent of the district's additional request, it's not clear what'll happen to make up for the rest.
This has been a topic for months: what to do with ABSS and its budget.
The district first warned it faced a budget emergency last November after widespread mold cleanup.
It has since turned to cutting staff and some summer school programs to try to get out of the red.
The state is even reviewing the district and how it's handled the mold situation, to make sure no laws were broken.
The district currently doesn't have a permanent superintendent or a chief financial officer.
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