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Dare County Board of Education received a first draft of the 2022-23 budget on April 12.

The schedule calls for a budget workshop on May 4 at 2 p.m. at a place to be announced. The board will take up the budget during its regularly scheduled meeting May 10 and forward the final budget to the Dare County Board of Commissioners by the May 15 deadline.

The proposed operating budget is $70,971,449.

State funding is pegged a $36,056,307 based on 5,100 students, about 200 fewer students than the past year. The state funding is half of the total budget.

Dare County funding is over a third of the total budget. In making the presentation, Dare County Schools Superintendent John Farrelly said that the county’s large share of funding is “unheard of across the state.” The proposed budget puts the county’s contribution at $25,341,484, or 35%.

Federal grants fund totals $7,484,244, or 10.5%.

The budget proposes a $500 supplement increase for teachers, who have not received a supplement increase in 10 years.

This operating budget is presented in 38 program categories.

Capital Improvement Plan projects total $1,790,000 for the fiscal year 2023.

The capital outlay budget is $573,805 and included is a new activity bus ($108,000), a teacher device refresh for First Flight High and Cape Hatteras Elementary at $100,000, a computer lab at Manteo High for $45,245, furniture at Manteo Elementary, Manteo Middle, First Flight Middle, Kitty Hawk Elementary and Nags Head Elementary in amounts varying from $3,000 to $25,000.

The school nutrition budget increases by 13.72% based on a 2.5% salary increase to a minimum of $15 per hour; insurance premiums based on state figure of $7,397; and retirement rate increase from 22.89% to 24.19%.

The proposed budget shows no increase in student fees for next year.

READ MORE OBITUARIES HERE.