Cabarrus Co, NC: $3M SPED deficit; doubts "shortfall can be overcome"

Mar 24, 2025, Charlotte (NC) Observer: Cabarrus County Schools lack $3 million for special needs program. What could happen?

As Cabarrus County Schools works to make up its $11 million budget shortfall, some worry about the impact it could have on the district’s most vulnerable students.

The district is short about $3 million for its Exceptional Children department (EC), according to CFO Phillip Penn. The program is designed to help students with disabilities receive the necessary educational resources to succeed and develop, according to the district’s website.

While Cabarrus schools are required to meet the needs outlined in students’ Individualized Education Plans (IEP), some parents worry the lack of funding could force the district to deprioritize special needs services.

Rob Cerulo, a Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for school board last year on a platform largely centered around special education, said his fifth-grade daughter has struggled for years in the district. She had no primary teacher for weeks one time, he said, and other times she had ones with no special education background.

“The budget deficit in the EC classrooms, we feel that every single day, especially with my daughter’s scenario,” he said.

Cerulo said he worries about Cabarrus County School funding in general. The district has the second lowest per-pupil funding of all 115 districts in the state, and North Carolina already ranks 48th for per-pupil funding in the country.

Low teacher pay, he said, could prevent highly qualified special needs teachers from working in the district.

“In the EC environment, it takes a special skill set… The way to bring in the right individuals for those roles is to create a different pay scale,” Cerulo said. “We’re going the complete opposite route of what needs to be taken to make sure that teachers have the training and prior experience and ability to service special needs communities.”

Keisha Sandidge, a developmental disability social worker and former Cabarrus County School Board member, said budget shortfalls are not new in North Carolina schools. Cabarrus has been trying to overcome teacher shortages for years, she said.  . . .

I just think we’re going to see a significant decline in test scores.”

Sandidge said her 12th-grade-daughter with an IEP has benefited greatly from the district’s EC program. She has learned how to advocate for herself and find success in the classroom, she said.

But Sandidge worries about current and future students with other disabilities who may suffer from underfunded programs.

On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the US Department of Education, which provides some grants to schools including for students with disabilities. This year, North Carolina is set to receive $4.8 billion from the department ..  . . .

Earlier this month, Penn told The Charlotte Observer that what parents most needed to know about the shortfall was the $3 million it would take to make up in order to cover EC services.

“Parents need to be aware of the lack of adequate funding for (EC) students, which in turn has an impact on all our students due to those costs being made up elsewhere in our budget,” he wrote in an email.

But last week, he said there are “no concerns” about the future of EC services.

“We are legally required to provide the services that are stated in the IEPs,” he wrote in an email to the Observer. “The finance department works very closely with the EC leadership team to ensure they have the resources necessary to provide services to our students.”

Penn told school board members this month the finance department is trimming expenses to improve the budget, but he isn’t sure if the shortfall can be overcome. Changes made include an “aggressive” hiring limit and cuts to various departments.