Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools could take $2.1M hit. Parents are invited to a Q&A
Superintendent Rodney Trice will meet with families in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools next week to talk about declining enrollment and a potential $2.1 million reduction in state funding.
The news marks another big hit for the district, which made a reduction in force in 2024 that eliminated more than 100 positions in the schools and central office to address a $5.2 million budget gap. Students and families criticized reductions in world languages and arts courses at some schools.
Last year, the district announced its fund balance — a rainy day fund typically used to cover budget shortfalls — was depleted after several years of rising costs and teacher pay increases that local funding did not cover.
At the same time, enrollment is falling, posing an even bigger threat to local and state funding, since both are allotted on a per-student basis.
Enrollment has dropped by over 1,000 students since 2020, for a total enrollment this year of 11,114 students. CHCCS spokesman Andy Jenks said Thursday that the district is expecting only 10,825 students next school year. Losing those 289 students could result in a $2.1 million cut — money that could potentially fund over 20 teachers.
The district has not made any decisions about how to cover that funding gap, district spokesman Andy Jenks said Friday.
It’s a similar story for districts across the state as they wait for a final state budget, now months late, and await the possibility of federal education funding cuts. President Donald Trump’s proposed budget could eliminate $12 billion in education spending if Congress goes along, including an estimated $200 million in funding for North Carolina, The News & Observer has reported.
Enrollment reflects births, options, cost of living
The enrollment decline has primarily hit the elementary schools. It’s driven in part by the growing popularity of charter, private and homeschool options, but it’s also because fewer children have been born in the district since 2015, Carolina Demography Director Nathan Dollar told the school board last year.
Other families with young children are choosing to move to Triangle cities with a lower cost of housing and schools that offer a similar quality of education experience, real estate and Chamber officials have said.
The school board has mentioned closing one elementary school, even as it spends roughly $175 million in voter-approved bond money to build three new elementary schools. The schools will replace Carrboro, Estes Hills and Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe.
Trice recently told the Orange County commissioners that the enrollment decline could continue, creating an even bigger budget issue.
“While that presents some real challenges, it also gives us a chance to reimagine how we operate as a smaller, more agile and financially sustainable district,” Trice said in a news release Thursday.
“We’re not making decisions right now. Rather, we’re building a shared understanding of the trends headed our way,” he said.
Trice will hold four community meetings next week — “Shaping the Future Together: Reimagining CHCCS in a Time of Change” — to share the latest enrollment data and demographic trends, and what they mean for the district’s future, the release said.
More details about the CHCCS public meetings
Each of the four meetings will cover the same material and include a 30-minute presentation, followed by questions and discussion. A Spanish interpreter will be available each night.
The dates and times are:
- Monday, Nov. 17, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Phillips Middle School Auditorium, 606 N. Estes Dr.
- Wednesday, Nov. 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Smith Middle School Auditorium, 9201 Seawell School Road
- Monday, Dec. 1, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Culbreth Middle School Auditorium, 225 Culbreth Road
- Tuesday, Dec. 2: 6:30-7:30 p.m., Smith Middle School Auditorium, 9201 Seawell School Road
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 10:09 AM.
