Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools March 2014 | Page 4

Message from Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison
We are now planning for the 20142015 operating budget for CharlotteMecklenburg Schools – and we want
to hear from parents, employees and
citizens about what they think is most
important for the 2014-2015 year! Our
budget isn’t just a financial document.
It is a priority statement expressed in
dollars and cents – it states what our
priorities are and what we care about
the most.
I want to share a quick overview
of CMS finances, and some specific
information about the 2014-2015
budget, to help our stakeholders
understand the process. CharlotteMecklenburg Schools actually has two budgets: the operating budget and the
capital budget. The operating budget – the topic of this column – pays for
day-to-day expenses of educating children. It is funded by money from the
federal government, the state and Mecklenburg County. The capital budget
pays for such expenditures as building and renovating schools or acquiring
property for future schools, and it is funded with money from the state and
the county as well as bonds.
The work on the operating budget begins in late fall and takes six to nine
months. Why so long? Our two largest funders, the county and the state,
do not approve their budgets until late spring or early summer, and our final
budget depends on county and state allocations.
The 2013-2014 operating budget was $1.2 billion, with 58 percent coming
from state funds, about 30 percent from Mecklenburg County and 11 percent
from the federal government (other funding and special grants made up the
rest). Our priorities were expanding the choice of programs and curriculum
that we offer our families and significantly improving our access to, and
use of, technology by building infrastructure and training our educators.
We also want to offer an extended K-3 literacy initiative to give elementary
students a strong start and strengthen our Advanced Placement/International
Baccalaureate and Career and Technical Education offerings and participation
for middle and high school students. We want to help children succeed in
school from the earliest years and provid