SHELBY POWELL
REPORTER
Swain County schools is requesting nearly $3.5 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year, and in late April met with commis-sioners to discuss the system’s greatest priorities.
Thursday, April 30, the school board and Board of Commis-sioners met to discuss the system’s ask for the coming fiscal year. The meeting included county and system financial personnel and new superintendent Brandon Sutton.
Mark Sale, outgoing Schools superintendent, said, “Right now I would like to Millie Hines, our finance officer, to take you through what the budget request is. And obviously we are prepared to answer as many requests as you have.”
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
Hines said, to meet basic facilities requirements for salaries, utilities, maintenance and Hines said, to meet basic facilities requirements for salaries, utilities, maintenance and requirements, along with the additional appropria-tions, comes in part because of lapses in state and federal funding.
Part of these added expenses come from 12.5% inflation to insurance costs, from $115,646 in the 2025-26 fiscal year to $130,101.75 in the 2026-27 fiscal year. Additional inflation is expected for utilities and supplies and material costs. The state also mandated increases to retirement pay and health contributions without funding those increases, Hines said.
Swain County Schools will not be able to fully fund a number of positions without help from the county. These include four teaching assistants, split between East and West Swain, at a total of $188,756.03. Three social workers, four nurses and two deans will need additional funding totaling $150,588, since the state is only funding 80% of these positions.
Approximately $200,000 will be needed to cover a collection of teaching, administration, custodial and transportation positions which lost Impact Aid funding due to lost student membership, which Hines aid were still necessary to continue daily operations. Sale added the system size by general statute and would become penalized if schools are forced to exceed hat size because of insufficient staffing. $250,000 will also be needed for salary decompression for classified staff and to fund recruitment and retention.
Among the most important costs requested by the system was a 4% local supplement for both certified and classified personnel, which Hines said would help the county retain qualified staff throughout the school system. The total cost of the supplements would be $629,482.14 for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Surrounding counties also offer local supplements, with Jackson County offering 6% supplement, Haywood County offering 7% and Macon County offering 2%. Aside from the local sup-plements, teacher pay is identical across the state, and Sale said he believed Swain would be in the ottom third of counties n offering a 4% supplement. We’ve already stated that we are in a competitive market right now at the school system,” Sale said. that’s new. That’s been evolving over the past 20 years and our state legislature has been helping hat become increasingly more competitive because hey are funding other schools and by taking funding away from traditional public schools to do that. So in order for us to be able to be competitive, we have to have the best product. But to have the best product, you have to have the most skilled workers that you can possibly find.”
He said offering a supplement would allow Swain County to attract more skilled workers from other laces to improve the quality f education the county is able to provide. He added certified employees have t worse, starting out at $15 per hour and taking exceptionally long to move out of that range.
That’s why I believe that that decompression is critical for the people that work for us,” Sale said.
COMMISSIONER RESPONSE
The Commissioners juggled the system’s asks in the face of an already tight budget season.
Commission chair Jay Kirkland said, “It’s up to Lottie [Barker] to figure these numbers out and stuff because this is way above us. Nobody wants to tell you we don’t have it. We need to try to find it somewhere. … I just want you to know that we’re trying, but our hands are tied on what we can do.”
“At the end of the day it ain’t the school against the county … we’re all in the same boat,” he said.
Sutton said, “In this process, it’s important for us to come forward and be transparent. Like these are the things we would like to do so you know everything that’s on our agenda, and then you’ve got to look at your budget and say ‘we appreciate what you’re asking for and what you’re trying to do and this is what we can do.’ That’s what we’re coming here to ask for.”
He said the system does have some priorities, like improving certain facilities and taking care of employees. Sale added finding a way to take care of maintenance costs and funding teacher supplements.
“In the current political climate of the federal government, the state government, traditional public schools continue to receive less and less funding,” Sale said.
“They’re doing that for a number of reasons, and what they’re expecting is for your to pick up the tab.
We understand, I understand, that your ability to do that is limited by 15% taxable land, but I also know that we’re at a place where we have done our deadlevel best to be efficient and economize everything that we’re doing.”
Sale said the school has already reduced 13 teaching positions between 2023 and 2025. With fewer options available, if the school system does not find more funding it will have to cut student programs. Commissioner David Loftis said it was important to get teachers as much money as they could.
“The Miss Reese, the Miss Clarks, the Ms. Ogles, Ms. Phillips, Ms. Samuel, Joe Wick, that’s who made me who I am,” Kirkland said. “I’m proud to just name all of them. You don’t realize it when you’re going to that school at that age of your life. What them people mean to you.”