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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will outline budget needs to school board

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board is set to meet Tuesday night, and school budget officials are set to give a presentation on the 2026-27 budget.

They are slated to discuss more than $37 million in identified needs, including an additional $8.8 million to fund higher teacher supplements, more than $8 million to fund the district’s charter school obligations and $6 million to fund a student device refresh and replacement program.

Several budget challenges are at play this budget cycle. For one thing, district officials plan to budget cautiously amid ongoing turbulence around education at the federal level. And CMS has also already said it plans to hire 200 fewer employees to adjust to an enrollment drop that translates to less funding from the state.

CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill won’t make her final recommendation to the board until March 24. The board will vote on April 28. Then, the district will have to make its case to Mecklenburg County to fully fund its request. Mecklenburg County is set to adopt its budget in June.

The state is the largest revenue source for CMS, accounting for around 56%, followed by Mecklenburg County at around 34%. Federal funding accounts for around 6% of funding.

The CMS school board meets Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The meeting is held at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center and streamed on the board's YouTube channel.