School board reviews stronger budget outlook
Also: Unanimous votes to keep tuition unchanged, update strategic plan
7:48 p.m. March 9, 2026
DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor
The Moore County Board of Education on Monday, March 9, reviewed a stronger budget outlook for next year, driven by enrollment growth, and voted to keep non-resident tuition unchanged while adding a new community engagement goal to its strategic plan.
Director of Schools Chad Moorehead said the district’s preliminary February TISA estimate for fiscal year 2027 is about $600,000 above the current budget due to higher enrollment, though he cautioned that the figure could change as student counts are finalized later in the year.
Moorehead said the district is currently estimated at about 869 students, up from roughly 830 at the same time last year. He also noted that enrollment typically declines as the school year progresses, which could affect both the fast-growth stipend and future TISA projections.
Several budget questions remain unresolved, including insurance and retirement costs, growth in local revenue, and how any salary increases would be structured. Even so, Moorehead said the district is still working toward a budget that would avoid a tax increase, a goal board members said they support.
Board Keeps Tuition Unchanged
The board voted to keep non-resident student tuition at $400 per child per year, with a maximum of $1,200 per family.
Carrie Barnett, Ed Cashion, Kaleigh Hatfield, and Tanya Vann voted yes. Jammie Cashion was absent.
Board members said the current rate keeps Moore County near the middle of nearby districts that charge tuition without risking a loss of state funding, and that comparisons with other districts did not warrant a rate change.
Strategic Plan Adds Community Engagement Goal
The board also approved adding a fourth goal focused on community engagement and communication, then renamed the document the 2026-2031 Strategic Plan.
The new goal emphasizes transparent, two-way communication and stronger partnerships with families and the broader community. Lynchburg Elementary School and Moore County High School will build more specific objectives beneath the broader district-level goal.
• Moorehead noted the recent SCOPE conference “went off well” and that four students attended – Abbey Carter, JenaLee Deal, Reason Brown, and Blaizia Thomison. He also said 4-H Congress, which the board approved last month, is now underway with Carter and Jackson Lindsey attending.
• Moorehead also announced that Steven Tucker, the recently hired custodial employee at LES, had resigned after Tucker's former employer offered better daytime hours. Another applicant may be interested in the position.
Election Questions Remain Unresolved
The board also briefly discussed unresolved questions about this year’s school board elections, though Moorehead stressed some of the information had not yet been confirmed. Moorehead said he had heard write-in candidates may have needed to file by Feb. 19, but was still trying to verify that information with the state election office.
If that interpretation proves correct, the 1st and 3rd district seats could be filled by appointment rather than election. Board members also discussed whether current members would continue serving until successors are certified or appointed.
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