Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is moving toward adopting its 2026-27 budget, even as the lack of a statewide spending plan continues to create uncertainty.
Last year, CMS built its budget assuming a 3% increase in state-funded teacher pay raises. Because the ongoing budget standoff has left that number unresolved, the district is using the same assumption again this year.
Superintendent Crystal Hill said that uncertainty will once again shape how CMS prepares its spending plan.
“If it’s above 3%, we will have to make some adjustments in order to accommodate that,” Hill said. “That would be great if we got more than a 3% budget, but what that does do is it puts us at a disadvantage because the current budget that we built is based on a 3% increase assumption.”
Hill spoke Thursday night during a meeting with her Parent Family Advisory Council, where district officials gathered feedback from families. She plans to deliver her final budget recommendation at next Tuesday’s school board meeting.
