BURLINGTON, N.C. — Alamance-Burlington Schools leaders put out a call to action for taxpayers to demand more investment in schools from county commissioners. It comes as the district faces what they call a financial crisis.
ABSS said it is asking county commissioners for roughly $9 million to pay for outstanding balances after mold removal, and the money issue is so serious it could trickle down to staffing.
"Now we face unimaginable, cutting resources, cutting programs, and potentially cutting staff. What that looks like is still being determined that being said, I want to be very clear - cutting staff will be an absolute last resort, both for the board and for administration," ABSS Board of Education Chair Sandy Ellington-Graves said on a Thursday briefing.
In the meantime, ABSS has issued a hiring freeze for some non-teaching roles, like school psychologists and nurses. Critical jobs like bus drivers and cafeteria workers aren't impacted.
The district said county commissioners are responsible for maintaining buildings and they need more help the keep the district afloat.
"Today we stand in an unfinished food and nutrition classroom in Cummings High School. We are missing walls, a powerful reminder of opportunities for students to learn. Two months ago this room was covered in toxigenic mold, the sheet rock had to be removed and we don't have the funds to restore it," Ellington Graves said.
ABSS said the bill for mold remediation is nearly $26 million. So far, they've paid nearly $19 million.
Right now, ABSS has just over $100,000 in its savings account.
ABSS school officials plan to meet County Commissioners on Monday at 9:30 a.m.
MOLD IN ABSS SCHOOLS
ABSS has been dealing with its widespread mold problem for months.
It started in late July when the district said it found mold in Andrews Elementary.
The discovery led to inspections at all other schools, where the affected number of schools ballooned to more than 25.
The district even pushed back its start date as nearly 2,000 workers converged on schools to eliminate the problem.
Students finally returned on September 11, two weeks after the original start date.
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