Commissioners approve $10 million for Gaston County Schools

Additional funding addresses the school system’s critical budget issues

Gaston County Schools is pleased to announce the approval of $10 million in funds by the Gaston County Board of Commissioners to address the school system’s current budgetary constraints.  The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the funds during a meeting on Tuesday, March 24.

The funds will be used to cover current operational expenses and payroll for the remainder of the 2025-2026 fiscal year (April, May, and June).  With the additional money from the county commissioners, Gaston County Schools is able to avoid making difficult decisions related to layoffs, furloughs, and the reduction of the current workforce for the 2025-2026 school year.

Superintendent of Schools Morgen A. Houchard stated, “We are extremely grateful for and appreciative of the county commissioners’ assistance to further support our schools in Gaston County.  The commissioners worked with us to gain an understanding of our current budgetary issues, and they were quick to respond because they know the importance of our schools to this community.  The commissioners stepped up in a big way to support Gaston County Schools, and because of their willingness to help, we will not have to face the difficult decisions that were looming over us.”

Dr. Houchard added, “While the additional funding from the county will help us pay our bills, cover expenses, and maintain our workforce for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year, we are committed to ensuring that allotments and personnel are in line with what is provided by the state of North Carolina.  Moving forward, we will ensure that we are operating within our state-allotted funds and making sound financial decisions with the money that is allocated for Gaston County Schools from the local, state, and federal levels.”

According to Houchard, the school system’s budget woes are attributed to four main factors: not having a comprehensive state budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year; a $7.2 million reduction in “Low Wealth Supplemental Funds” from the state; a dramatic increase in inflationary costs over the past several years, and the end of ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) federal funds in September 2024 that were provided to school systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In December, the school system implemented a hiring freeze to address budgetary concerns, and in March, a spending/purchasing freeze took effect.  While the hiring and spending/purchasing freezes helped to save money, it was not enough to overcome the deficit – that is why assistance from the county commissioners was necessary.

Josh Crisp, chairman of the Gaston County Board of Education, stated, “The Board of Education appreciates the support from our county commissioners – the commissioners came through in a big and significant way to help Gaston County Schools.  We had gotten to the point where we were going to have to immediately reduce the size of our workforce because we had concerns about being able to meet our payroll obligations.  We were in a very critical situation, but fortunately, the additional funds from the county commissioners will help us make it through this school year.”

In planning for next school year (2026-2027), Crisp added that the school system has been working to better align its workforce with the number of positions allotted by the state.  Further, Crisp said the school system is renewing its commitment to taking a conservative and fiscally-responsible approach to budgeting, purchasing, and spending.

“We have to budget, purchase, and spend within our allotments,” said Crisp.  “We also want to continue building our relationship with our local and state officials so they understand our financial needs and we can work together to provide outstanding educational opportunities for the students of Gaston County Schools.”