[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6316586,"mediaKeyId","2376599-aa69cc4048ee2c458e87e582f940a533","parentId",2376599,"title","Kannapolis City Schools warns of rising special‑education costs, staffing gaps and facility needs","audioSeconds",2416,"startMs",3095000,"endMs",5511000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376599-aa69cc4048ee2c458e87e582f940a533&start=3095&end=5511","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376599-aa69cc4048ee2c458e87e582f940a533/thumbnail_3095000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6316586/Cabarrus-County/North-Carolina/Kannapolis-City-Schools-warns-of-rising-specialeducation-costs-staffing-gaps-and-facility-needs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316586-b82bfbd21584cf8899a77aad19ba2d9f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135990&Signature=QtyHZaLdYc~LkyFJYVJKn3uP8e8CLFdkTq5dF8FwQZUDQS2-aJeTZxoNBEQ7ljTqM2q3qlFnkVQpGIpbLlT5xfS1D-KXrMzjOjdedGuTdoIH83xnXdu4QR-LP9vz0YOKCjzevLZuDPupBm2catdD72pBNPUWdKzpRmKotz~lixICl2zgjYlU80yNUeAZ6xEbp7vo3t7GXNTCoxL3sT7f1coE3o3WxSG2RzAgFkIag0Q2bheO07lRlNntSoOzn-FrMCBkQmj45rjX37LUFQbkixXVmeDEaTAt~MAuD2Ayu6A9cj2BPc4s50cOi0DOo7hqzuYywGGlCLGH~2e8PnuP0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cabarrus County, NC","date","2025-02-22T01:29:13Z","article","Kannapolis City Schools officials told the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners that the district is managing enrollment growth and facilities projects while confronting rising costs for special‑education services, employee benefits and deferred maintenance.

Why it matters: District leaders said federally and state‑mandated services for students with disabilities and growing benefits costs are creating budget pressure that threatens locally funded programs, staff supplements and planned capital work unless additional funding or policy changes occur.

Kannapolis leaders reported 5,336 students in the January enrollment report and said about 75% of the district’s students qualify as economically disadvantaged. The district said 17% of students are multilingual learners and about 14% receive special‑education services—above the state “cap” the presenters cited (13.4% referenced as a benchmarking figure). Officials said the district has at times been over 15% for special‑education enrollment and that the overage is consuming fund balance.

Local funding and project details presented to commissioners included $11.2 million in Cabarrus County local operating support and about $20 million in capital receipts that the district said reflect recent building work (the $20 million figure includes the Fred L. Wilson project, the presentation said). Kannapolis officials described a $14,000,000 addition and renovation at Fred L. Wilson that will add 18 classrooms and a larger media center, work already in progress.

Facility needs: Other large projects cited were HVAC replacement at Forest Park, a roof replacement at North Kannapolis, a Shady Brook front parking lot project and a chiller replacement at G.W. Carver. Kannapolis said those projects are in design or bidding and that the district relies on county maintenance expertise for large capital work.

Student supports and staff ratios: District presenters listed counselor, psychologist and social‑worker ratios that they say fall short of recommended levels. The district reported counselor ratios around 1 per 410 students (recommended 1 per 250), psychologists at roughly 1 per 1,400 in secondary and 1 per 800 in elementary (recommended 1 per 500), and social‑worker ratios also well above recommended levels. Leaders said these staffing shortfalls are being addressed partly through contract providers, which increases costs.

Special‑education costs and contract services: Kannapolis officials said contract services for special education (for example, school psychologists and specialized teachers) are costly, have driven an estimated increase in local expenditures and are eating into fund balance. The presentation reported that district benefit costs (pension and health care contributions) rose about 70% between 2018 and 2024; presenters said that rising employer benefit shares are a major pressure on local funds.

Budget adjustments and efficiencies: The district described a soft hiring freeze for non‑student‑facing central‑office roles, other personnel reductions and a cost‑savings goal in the $2.25 million range (about $1.7 million of reductions already identified). Officials said they are reviewing grant submissions, reducing nonessential purchases and seeking efficiencies in operations such as waste management and phone bills.

Legislative priorities and asks: Kannapolis leaders asked commissioners to support several state‑level policy priorities including: recognition of industry credentials and career‑and‑college success on the state report card, lifting or revising the special‑education cap and associated funding, and revisiting retired‑teacher return‑to‑work rules to increase available certified staff. The presenters characterized some of these as unfunded mandates that shift cost burdens to local taxpayers.

School safety and staffing notes: The district said its high school (about 1,700 students across multiple buildings) currently has two SROs and that the district has SROs assigned at middle schools and two SROs covering elementary schools; district leaders said they would like an SRO in every building.

Next steps: District officials said they are continuing a superintendent search (hope to name a superintendent in May) and will continue to brief county leaders on budget status and capital projects. District leaders also said they are working with county staff and other districts on possible regional approaches to specialty contract services.

Ending: Commissioners praised the district’s fiscal stewardship and asked staff to continue working with Kannapolis leaders on facility, staffing and special‑education cost pressures.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cabarrus County BOC Retreat 02.22.2025 - Rowan-Cabarrus Community College | Kannapolis City Schools","oneSentenceSummary","District leaders told Cabarrus County commissioners the school system is under financial pressure from growth in special‑education costs, rising benefits, and aging facilities while proposing capital projects and legislative priorities to address gaps.","taxTitle","Cabarrus County, North Carolina","taxId",13706,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6316593,"Rowan-Cabarrus Community College pitches workforce programs, AI center and local campus investments to commissioners",1574,820000,2394000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376599-aa69cc4048ee2c458e87e582f940a533&start=820&end=2394","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376599-aa69cc4048ee2c458e87e582f940a533/thumbnail_820000.jpg","/articles/6316593/Cabarrus-County/North-Carolina/Rowan-Cabarrus-Community-College-pitches-workforce-programs-AI-center-and-local-campus-investments-to-commissioners","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316593-7131db928a0f6c23882da55b6ae07116/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135990&Signature=bxyRqKmr9D~gSQcWvKl-Go4iFsXyA1dv-Pafw4bAvHECoN4vxSh9SDPNLTMNNzP7uvywKGQ7gCnrb8N8OqvmLsndTDRNRb4SL5ONbTt0gcL692Ik94rGGPYYT6ttvxDj5ahf8SymzM8C7JMvdfF6E8RsLF5JAecNI6g9H~-bJ1Qgd3MLJ-eKVpy1wqlgCuqpqNJfmlv9YEBSz8saXDxYqVU4Q0I9BUZJigAGuS8s2GWBwCEsKJ~cG4Kr-pNh1XqFeck0PnUE6VVtCzGWtQdWgqef7fS2odWV26bPTESfqg~ZqwTdXmQsvU7NwOL0iTaMMnfAFGx9t8jNdU3zt8grjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rowan-Cabarrus Community College officials outlined program growth, business partnerships and a plan for new workforce space during an appearance before the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners.

The college told commissioners it now draws 54% of its enrollment from Cabarrus County, provides a mix of curriculum and continuing-education offerings, and generates an estimated $238 million in annual local economic impact from student and alumni activity. College leaders said the institution’s operating budget is under $50 million and that continuing-education registrations totaled about 57,000 last year.

Why it matters: College officials framed the institution as a local workforce engine, saying expanded technical training and employer partnerships are filling jobs in manufacturing, life sciences and automotive trades that commissioners and county leaders have identified as priorities.

College presenters described several concrete developments. The Cabarrus Business and Technology Center received a $1,250,000 Golden Leaf grant to establish an automotive program intended to expand local access to technician training. The college also identified a $47,000,000 funding approval from Cabarrus County for a planned South Campus workforce development building that college leaders propose to brand as an AI center of excellence and position along I‑85; the college said it already owns about 23 acres appropriate for expansion.

Officials detailed other workforce partnerships: a short “BioWorks” training pipeline aligned with Eli Lilly that the college said produced more than 100 graduates in under a year, a training arrangement with Okuma on CNC machining that the college characterized as regional in scale, and an RJG national plastics injection‑molding training center with roughly 108 students enrolled. The presenters said many employer‑directed courses are short, intensive and attract participants who stay in local hotels and spend in the county economy.

On nursing and health programs, the college announced plans to begin a night nursing cohort in fall 2025 with 20 seats to increase capacity and better match workforce demand. The college also reported growth in welding, basic law‑enforcement training and certified nurse aide courses, noting wait lists in some trades (welding cited with 81 enrolled and 19 on a waiting list).

Officials said tuition remains intentionally low: the college’s credit‑hour charge is $76, and leaders estimated an associate degree can be completed for roughly $2,000 in tuition (not including fees or living costs). Presenters also said Pell Grants remain an important funding source for many students.

On artificial intelligence, college leaders described an instructional strategy that embeds AI tools in existing curricula and a broader ambition to create a facility that supports AI‑infused instruction across disciplines and continuing education. They said the Department of Labor had signaled employer demand for workers with AI skills and that the college plans to integrate AI training into associate of arts and science pathways and workforce courses; presenters emphasized that the college is preparing students to use AI tools rather than to build AI systems.

Commissioners asked how AI instruction would look in practice and were told faculty are already piloting classroom uses (for example, using AI as an editor in writing assignments and as a problem‑dissection tool in math rather than as a shortcut to answers).

College leaders asked for continued county support for renovations and construction at South Campus and for leveraging the 23‑acre site as a visible “front door” campus on I‑85. They added that the college expects workforce funding and facility projects to take several years from planning to opening.

Ending: College representatives said they will follow up with commissioners on details and thanked the board for prior support; commissioners and presenters noted plans for campus tours and upcoming graduation events.","Rowan-Cabarrus Community College told Cabarrus County commissioners it has expanded workforce training, received grants to add programs and is seeking county support for a new workforce/AI building on county-owned land along I‑85.","actionData","errors"]

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Kannapolis City Schools warns of rising special‑education costs, staffing gaps and facility needs

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College pitches workforce programs, AI center and local campus investments to commissioners