Local leaders gathered at the downtown Durham County library on May 4 to take stock of what North Carolina's prolonged budget standoff is costing Durham. The state hasn't passed a budget since 2023, making it the only state in the country without one for the current fiscal year.
Alexandra Forter Sirota, executive director of the NC Budget and Tax Center, was direct about the consequence. "No state budget means that they've given an across the board cut to every program and service in North Carolina," she said. "They have failed to allow funding to keep up with rising costs." She appeared alongside state Rep. Marcia Morey, Durham County Commission chair Mike Lee, and Durham school board vice chair Millicent Rogers.
Durham County depends on state dollars more than the City of Durham does, and that dependence is showing. Education alone accounts for roughly 35% of the county's general fund operating budget. Historically, the state covered operational school costs. That has shifted. County commissioners have been picking up those bills instead, on top of their traditional role funding capital projects like new school buildings and HVAC replacements. Last year, the county funded a $10.35 million increase to help bridge the gap.
The squeeze reaches classrooms directly. Rogers said 15 positions were cut at the start of this school year. Another 220 could be eliminated next year. "Everybody is expecting our student outcomes to improve, expecting test scores to go up," Rogers said. "But it's uncomfortable for our students."
Sirota put Durham's situation in statewide terms. "The experience in Durham is multiplied by 100," she said. All 100 counties are navigating the same shortfall. Durham's budget season, already under strain from a DPS funding request that exceeds available county revenue, now runs directly into a Raleigh stalemate with no clear end date.