Lawyer for Duplin schools disputes county's figures
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on July 31, 2008 1:46 PM
Richard Schwartz, one of two Raleigh attorneys representing the Duplin County Board of Education in its mediation funding dispute with county commissioners, has asked for a correction of figures used in a July 29 News-Argus article.
The article noted that county commissioners thus far have appropriated $8.7 million in local funding for the school system.
Local funding actually totals $7,727,529.
He said that the $8.7 million figure quoted in the article as being total local funding incorrectly included capital outlay.
No local funds go into capital outlay, only state dollars, he said.
Averaging what the schools have received in local funding over the past two years reflects an eight-tenths of a percent decrease in what the system received two years ago, he said.
Schwartz said that the $9.5 million school officials say is needed just to operate refers to current expense funds only.
Schwartz also said that county Manager Mike Aldridge erred when he said he understood the county would receive an unbudgeted $1 million from the state.