CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. -- In order to better fund education needs, commissioners in Cabarrus County will vote to raise the property tax rate by two cents in their final budget by June 30.
The median assessed home value in Cabarrus County is valued at $160,000 -- the increase of two cents equals an additional $32 a year.
"The two-cent will help. Is it enough? No," said Commissioner Diane Honeycutt. "But when we look at the amount of needs our schools have -- it gets into the hundreds of millions."
NBC Charlotte got a tour of an elementary school Monday that opened its doors in the 1960s. Overcrowding, safety issues and bathrooms deemed too small are the issues. The tour was an effort to inform Raleigh lawmakers of the needs the district faces.
"The overcrowding is evident," said North Carolina House Rep. Larry Pittman.
He's working to bring a statewide bond vote before voters in the fall to provide more funding.
"We haven't voted on it in the house yet, I expect it to be happening in the next week, or two."
"It is a juggling act," said teacher Becky Rice who manages both a kindergarten and first-grade class at the same time -- with help from a teacher's assistant.
Still, Rice worries she is not able to give all her students what they need.
"Yes. Yes. I can't say that enough because there are times when I have become overwhelmed. I have gone home in the evenings and just what is it that I have to get done? There have been times when I thought have I done justice to these first graders and that's bothered me," Rice said.
According to county officials, the increase will allow the county to do the following:
- Take on additional $5,027,229 in debt service for construction of a new elementary school and the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Advanced Technology Center
- Replacement of large HVAC systems for two schools
- Purchase of 20 mobile classroom units for school growth
- Purchase of land for the future expansion of the south campus of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
- Increase support for classroom services by raising the local teacher supplement to 8 percent of annual teacher salary in Cabarrus County Schools and an equal percentage conversion for Kannapolis City School District.
- Staff and administer programming three days a week at a new library branch in Midland, a shared investment with the town, which will provide the facility.
- Attract and retain a talented and diverse workforce. To keep up with the demands of our growing community, the County requested the addition of 42 total positions in the high-need areas of:
- Human services: 12
- Public safety: 17 (10 part-time, two full-time in EMS; two in Code Enforcement and three in the Sheriff’s Office)
- Facilities and building maintenance: two
- Solid Waste/Recycling: one
- Library: three part-time and one full-time
- General government: six (two in Finance, two in Information Technology Services, one in Tax Administration and one in the County Manager’s Office) The County also requested a salary study to evaluate our public safety pay scale and a two percent cost of living adjustment for all County employees.
- Continue to raise awareness of local problems that stem from mental health issues—including substance/opioid abuse—and provide the services required to address them.
Even with all that, the county said they are looking at a quarter-cent sales tax increase in the fall and are lobbying Raleigh for a statewide bond vote that will provide more education funding for all 100 counties.