{"id":3335,"date":"2026-07-15T19:05:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3335"},"modified":"2026-07-15T19:05:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:05:35","slug":"gaston-county-gives-school-district-5m-as-it-faced-another-round-of-layoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3335","title":{"rendered":"Gaston County gives school district $5M as it faced another round of layoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gaston County commissioners voted Tuesday night to increase its investment in county public schools by $5 million, reversing its previous decision to keep funding flat.<\/p>\n

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Commissioners voted in a 4-3 decision to answer the district\u2019s calls for more funding, after Gaston County Schools Superintendent Morgen Houchard warned he would need to slash 75 positions<\/u><\/a> this fall without an influx of more cash.<\/p>\n

The district already laid off 175 staff members<\/u><\/a> this spring. It\u2019s unclear to what extent the new cash infusion will prevent layoffs next fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cSupporting one essential service should never require neglecting another,\u201d Gaston County Board of Commissioners Chairman Chad Brown said in a news release. \u201cWe must support our schools and protect the County\u2019s financial future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaston County gave $54 million to GCS for operating expenses for the 2025-26 school year. The district requested $60.5 million for the coming school year, but county commissioners voted May 12 to keep the county\u2019s portion of the district\u2019s budget stagnant.<\/p>\n

What followed were some tense budget discussions and a financial report from an independent consulting firm called Hurd, Isenhour and Lopes. It looked at the school district\u2019s financials as well as county revenues and expenses over a four-year period. The Observer obtained the report through a public records request.<\/p>\n

Consultants found the county was spending less on public education than its peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe district cannot continue operating at the current level without additional funding from the county,\u201d the report stated.<\/p>\n

In the following weeks, commissioners met with school board members in a series of private meetings to discuss the possibility of additional funding for the district.<\/p>\n

The additional $5 million will go primarily toward staff pay and benefits as well as keeping W.B. Beam Intermediate, a school the district had previously decided to close, open for one more year.<\/p>\n

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The bulk of the money \u2013 about $2.1 million \u2013 will go toward increasing teacher pay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the single largest one-time increase to county-funded teacher salary supplements in Gaston County history,\u201d the district said in a Tuesday news release. \u201cIt also strengthens Gaston County\u2019s hand in both recruiting and keeping great teachers against neighboring counties competing for the same talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Gaston County, supplemental teacher pay ranged from $3,562.30 to $5,451.90 during the 2025-26 school year, on top of state funded teacher salaries. That brought pay for most starting teachers in the district to around $44,500.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Mecklenburg County, starting teacher salaries came in at around $48,000. In Union County, it was more like $47,300. Just across the state line in South Carolina, teachers in Clover School District made a minimum of $51,500.<\/p>\n

Gov. Josh Stein last week signed a long-overdue state budget, which included pay raises for educators, especially beginning teachers. It will bring base starting teacher pay in the state to $48,000.<\/p>\n

Around $1.6 million of Gaston County\u2019s increase for GCS will go toward funding state-set increases to health insurance premiums and retirement contributions for every district employee.<\/p>\n

About $1 million will go toward funding pay for employees that are entirely paid by the county, not the state.<\/p>\n

Approximately $275,000 will go toward keeping W.B. Beam Intermediate School open for the 2026-27 school year, delaying consolidation plans. However, commissioners emphasized that this is not a long-term fix.<\/p>\n

Read more You\u2019re outta there! Fans fume after popular baseball team ejected from Mooresville stadium<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gaston County commissioners voted 4-3 to add $5 million to school funding, boosting teacher pay, covering benefits and keeping W.B. 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