<div>KENANSVILLE — Concerns about teacher shortages, staff reductions and resources at Duplin County schools took center stage during public comments at Wednesday’s school board meeting, as district officials later explained the financial pressures behind the cuts.Four people spoke about the loss of a beloved receptionist at Duplin Early College. Miguel Balderas, a student at Duplin Early College, said, “Ms. Melbourne was like a second mother to us. She watched out for our safety.” Another student, Ruth Ann Baker, said, “I understand there is a lot going on and we aren’t like other schools with football teams, but we do our best. We still get overlooked and lose more people than we earn.”Danielle Nixon Baker asked the board to reinstate Melbourne.“Duplin Early College High School has some of the highest report card grades in the county, yet one of the district’s highest performing schools continues to lose resources and staff. Why is a school that is already operating with limited resources being asked to do even more with less?” She named at least six other teachers who had been relocated from the school.Alexis Newkirk said her family was recently denied enrollment at Wallace Elementary because the school did not have enough teachers to take on more students.“If Wallace Elementary is facing a capacity crisis as it was told to me, then we ask you to look into this crisis so our children will not fall behind,” Newkirk said.Though the board did not immediately address the comments, members returned to them after discussing the 2026-27 proposed budget.Duplin County Public Schools Finance Officer Ashley Jata said the district is facing “significant financial pressure” for the second consecutive year, compounded by state-mandated increases in salaries and benefits.“Last year, we lost approximately $2.6 million in Low Wealth state funding, and part of how we responded was appropriating $1.8 million of our savings to balance last year’s budget. This year, we are facing large mandated increases in salaries and benefits. At the same time, we are also facing another year of spending reductions. We have $2.8 million in reductions planned,” Jata said.Jata said the district eliminated 17 positions last year and has implemented another $2.8 million in reductions this year. Thirty-three positions were eliminated, mostly through attrition, as part of those reductions. The district had requested a $2.8 million increase in local funding from Duplin County Government, but the request was not funded.This year’s reductions include a 9.5% decrease in central office funding, a 1.5% cut to school-level budgets and a 5.5% cut to district operations.Jata said the district is trying to reduce its reliance on its fund balance.“Similar to an emergency account, when we use this fund balance for things like payroll that are ongoing, it can add up quickly and that is not what it’s designed for. It’s designed to support us in emergencies,” Jata said.The district had projected an average 3% salary increase, but certified employees received an average increase of approximately 8%. Retirement contributions increased by almost 6%, compared with an estimated 4%, while district health insurance contributions rose by another 5%. One-time bonuses added $230,000 to local budget needs, Jata said.Jata said state funding fully covers salaries and benefits for about 550 employees, mostly teachers and principals, while more than 600 support positions are funded through fixed dollar allotments.“We estimate the increase in pay allotments will cost $4.1 million more to the district than last year,” Jata said.Jata said the district is proposing to use $1.4 million from its fund balance this year, compared with $1.8 million last year.“Unfortunately, without sustainable fund sources, it is likely that we might face even more reductions in future years.Board Chairman Brent Davis said the district has cut 50 positions over the past two years.“All the raises that went into place: the state did that. The general public thinks that the state covers all those positions but the state allotted positions are covered… the dollar allotted positions have no money out there to do it. Our only two options are to go to the county and ask for additional funding or make cuts to be able to make those benefit costs and salary raises,” Davis said.Davis then specifically addressed those that came forward in public comments.“We try to treat every school the same, and we made sure everybody still had a position–we didn’t send anyone home. Expenses are still going up and a lot of it is unfunded mandates that puts us in this incredibly difficult position of constantly cutting. …We value every position at every level … unfortunately, we are constrained to what funds we have and we’ve got to make them work the best way we can,” Davis said.The board then approved a consent agenda including the new budget, policy updates, fund raisers, donations, and independent contracts for services across the district. After a closed session for legal matters, the board reopened and approved appointing Laterri Underwood as Assistant Principal at Wallace Elementary and Maria Uribe as the Director of Federal Programs, Counseling, and Pre-K.</div>

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KENANSVILLE — Concerns about teacher shortages, staff reductions and resources at Duplin County schools took center stage during public comments at Wednesday’s school board meeting, as district officials later explained the financial pressures behind the cuts. Four people spoke about the loss of a beloved receptionist at Duplin...

Staffing cuts draw concern at Duplin school board meeting

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KENANSVILLE — Concerns about teacher shortages, staff reductions and resources at Duplin County schools took center stage during public comments at Wednesd

Staffing cuts draw concern at Duplin school board meeting

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