Asheville schools urge Buncombe to keep higher tax rate for programs

Buncombe County’s tax rate choice could determine whether Asheville City Schools keeps school resource officers, band, theater and other student services that state money does not cover. District leaders say the difference between a revenue-neutral 8.14-cent rate and a 10-cent supplemental rate is the difference between preserving core programs and putting more than $2 million in support at risk.

Asheville City Schools is asking county commissioners to keep the higher supplemental rate, arguing that 10 cents per $100 of assessed value would still protect key services without overburdening taxpayers. The county finance team has recommended the lower 8.14-cent revenue-neutral rate after reassessment pushed property values higher. ACS says the 8.14-cent option would bring in only about $200,000 more, while holding the rate at 11 cents would generate about $4.4 million more than the revenue-neutral level.

Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said the district serves about 640 exceptional children and is already spending about $750,000 locally for students who fall above the state threshold for services. Asheville City Schools’ exceptional children program serves eligible students ages 3 to 21, and district materials say the program is intended to give students with IEPs academic and elective success in the least restrictive environment. Fehrman said the district’s standard of education could be at risk if the supplemental request is cut too far.

The stakes also reach beyond special education. District officials say summer and after-school programs serving hundreds of students could be affected if the rate falls, along with electives such as band, theater and arts, because the state does not fund elective teachers at the middle and high school level. Asheville City Schools also describes school resource officers as police officers who work inside schools to help keep students and teachers safe.

The pressure on the school budget has been building for more than a year. In 2024, Asheville City Schools faced a $1.2 million shortfall and considered freezing vacant positions and cutting central-office personnel. After Hurricane Helene, Buncombe County commissioners cut nearly $4.7 million in school funding in January 2025, and later approved a budget that raised Asheville City Schools’ supplemental tax to 11 cents in June 2025. District leaders say that 2025 push, which restored the rate from 10.62 cents to 11 cents, added about $425,000 for fiscal 2026.

Parents and advocates have pressed for even more. Families of Asheville City Schools launched the Two Cents for AVL campaign as education supporters argued that Buncombe has lagged behind other counties in school funding effort. A Public School Forum of North Carolina ranking placed Buncombe 79th of 100 counties on that measure. Commissioners were scheduled to hold a public hearing on May 19, giving residents a chance to weigh in before the rate was finalized.