Scott Ward, a county resident, opposed the proposed library plan. He said shifting funding to the cities could restrict library access to county citizens. He continued that he wanted to know how the money was being spent. Mr. Ward suggested a "citizen dashboard" to see how money was being spent.
Robert Alvis, a Graham resident, spoke that he was the President of the Alamance Burlington Association of Educators. He continued that ABSS should be fully funded and proposed classified pay supplements to bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and other classified employees. He indicated that many classified staff members had multiple jobs to make ends meet. Mr. Alvis offered to meet the Board individually to discuss school funding.
Windy Lampson, a Burlington resident, said she was an ABSS parent and a teacher for 18 years. She announced that she was selected as ABSS Teacher of the Year. She asked the Board to fully fund the ABSS budget request. She said that cuts to positions such as testing coordinators, school instructional specialists, nurses, and many others shifted those duties to teachers. She said the county's property tax rate was lower than that of surrounding counties. She continued that fully funding schools was not just an investment in students, but also in the future workforce. Ms. Lampson urged the Board to fully fund the ABSS budget request.
Shawn Francis, a county resident, stated that he saw inappropriate signs; he shared some examples on the walls at the library. He said that he wrote a public information request to the library director and was ignored. He continued that it was a violation of the law and the government had to respond to public information requests. He spoke about the elimination of DEI and cutting staff. Mr. Francis said that he had not received an answer for two years ago.
Ruth Schallert said she worked at ABSS as an occupational therapist for 9 years. She stated that the county should provide free and appropriate public education. She continued that the main reason there were so many vacancies in special education was that many special education teachers left ABSS for surrounding counties for more compensation. She stated that there was a special education staffing crisis and urged the Board to fully fund the ABSS budget. Ms. Schallert commented that the county could not afford to lose more staff that served special needs students.
Barbara Roberts, a Burlington resident, stated that she served on the Board of Friends of Alamance County Public Libraries for 38 years. She said that she did not want to be part of the silence of the good people and that people deserved a strong library system. She continued that in one month the public libraries had participated in 182 programs, festivals and fairs that were attended by over 5,000 people. In 2016, Friends of the Public Libraries reached the one million mark in fund raising, which supported public libraries. She stated that Alamance County should be proud of having a unified library system. She continued that 2025 marked 100 years of public libraries in Alamance County. Ms. Roberts said public libraries should be a funding priority.
Cassie Dodson, a Burlington resident, said that when a child showed up to school emotionally bleeding, they were told to sit down and be quiet. Those were students whose behaviors were dangerous; students that could not function in the classroom. She mentioned that she was a teacher for 14 years. She continued that her brother had mental health problems and had died of suicide. As teachers, she indicated that they saw these signs every day. Kids deserved mental health specialists; teachers were not therapists. Ms. Dodson urged the Board to look into that for the budget.
Donna Vanhook, a Burlington resident, asked the Board to appoint Commissioner Thompson as a Restoration Advisory Board clean-up member. She also asked for support for library funding, which included essential services like the mobile internet cafe that helped the rural part of the county. Ms. Vanhook continued that library funding should not be disrupted.
Bob Byrd, a Burlington resident, stated that he was there to support county staff who had attended racial equity training, especially those in managerial, supervisory, or leadership positions. He mentioned that he was an Alamance County Commissioner from 2014 to 2018 and was a commissioner representative on the Board of Health. During his time on the Board of Health, an Elon student gave a workshop on racial disparities in the maternal-child section. He described his experience as transformational in how he viewed race and racism. He stated that the training was relevant to county staff as it gave them a foundational knowledge base. Mr. Byrd said that racial equity training should be encouraged and supported.
Walter Allison, a county resident, stated that the county should fund training for county employees as employees came into contact with the public. He encouraged the Board to take equity training as it made them better people. He stated that the library and the school system should be fully funded. Mr. Allison concluded his comments with a scripture.
Tasha Miles, an Elon resident, stated that she was an ABSS employee for 18 years. She urged the Board to consider fully funding ABSS. She continued that the county planned to spend money on upgrades to the courthouse, but wanted to complain about funding the school system. She challenged the Board to ride a bus with a bus driver and sit in a classroom with special needs students to see their challenges. Ms. Miles continued that pay was ridiculous for the size of the county; cutting funding would not only hurt staff, but also students.
Medora Burke-Scoll, a county resident, stated that she was the Vice President of the Alamance Association of Educators and was a teacher at Eastern Alamance High for 15 years. She said that ABSS was in a budget crisis and teachers across ABSS had taken a reduction in supplements. She mentioned that one librarian filled the role of two librarians. She said frustration came from being asked to tighten the belt, hold on to your seat, and make do for a year. She continued that a full-time testing coordinator and an extra assistant principal were cut. She stated that staff had to figure out testing accountability metrics that made students wait for testing. Ms. Burke-Scoll said that cuts hurt kids.
Sandra Cook, a Haw River resident, said she was an ABSS parent. She stated that a recent report from the NC Department of Public Instruction showed high teacher turnover. She said the report showed that of the 1,400 ABSS teachers who worked last year, 139 of them left the job. A 9.7 percent rate was one of the highest attrition rates in the Triad. She mentioned that her 3rd grader last year was overloaded with 40 students in one classroom until a permanent teacher was hired in mid-October. She also mentioned that her kindergartener's classroom was overloaded last year until a teacher was hired in mid-October. This year, her 1st grader lacked a permanent teacher for a few weeks, and her 4th grader had 35 students in the classroom. She stated that high teacher turnover was not only a burden, but also fiscally wasteful. She said a $5.72 million increase was justified, as much of the funding increased teaching supplements and benefits that improved retention. Ms. Cook urged the Board to fully fund ABSS.
Theresa Draughn, a county resident, said she was a parent and a substitute teacher. She asked the Board to fully fund the school board's budget request, including pay supplements for teachers and classified staff. She stated that supplements were not a luxury, but a necessity. She stated that some of the people taking care of kids made poverty-level wages. She continued that public schools were a foundation for communities where children spent most of their days. She said the county had committed millions to a courthouse expansion, which showed what was possible when something was considered a priority. Ms. Draughn urged the board to fully fund the school board's budget request.
Aletha McKenzie said that she was a nurse for 52 years. She said that children should be prioritized, and this was all about the children. She continued by saying that children competed in a global market. She stated that half of the children could not read, half could not speak, and half could not present themselves to get a job. She mentioned that children were not being prepared to make good decisions for all of us. Ms. McKenzie said that the ancestors died to secure freedom and democracy; the children needed it.
LaSonya Moffett, a county resident, said she was a social worker at Williams for a year. She stated that she started as a social worker in November of 2023 and, in January of 2024, was told that she would be out of a job in March 2024. She said social workers left due to stress and fear of not having a job. She continued that most social workers had more than one school to assist. She said it was difficult to support students when they had to jump around to different schools; kids needed consistency. Ms. Moffett said students and families had been affected by the drastic cuts.
Regenia Richardson, a mathematics teacher at Williams High asked the Board to fund the proposed ABSS budget. She said that she taught in Illinois for 17 years and took a $29,000 pay cut to do the same job, which she said was more strenuous. She said kids arrived from the bus, 45 minutes late every day. She mentioned that kids were being discouraged, and she had to provide extra sessions for students. She said more bus drivers were needed; it was important for kids to get to school on time. Ms. Richardson urged the Board to fund ABSS.
Sam Moser, a county resident, commended the school teachers present at the meeting. He said that he wanted the Board to fund the school system adequately and for the school system to use the money appropriately. He said that several teachers had told him that money was not the issue, but that it was students who lacked discipline. He continued that he wanted to be sure that tax money was being used properly. Mr. Moser urged the Board not to increase property taxes again this year.
Hillary Messer, a teacher, said she moved from Florida and faced a major pay cut. She stated that with a teacher assistant, she taught small groups. She mentioned that she met a teacher assistant who drove the bus before school, taught at an EC classroom, and drove the bus for a high school in the afternoon with three kids of her own. She stated that she was probably the only teacher who did not work two jobs, so she did Instacart on the side to ensure she had rent money. Ms. Messer said that she did not mind paying more in taxes.
Southey Blanton, a Burlington resident, said he had 4 children. He said that the sticker policy was created because people were uncomfortable that gay and transgender people existed. He mentioned that the stickers were meant for parents to police material. He continued that LGBTQ youth were 4 times more likely to commit suicide due to stigmatization. Mr. Blanton described the sticker policy as an attack on a small minority; all because a few people found it "icky."
Christopher Bullard, a Burlington resident, talked about Dadfest, an event that would take place on June 14 at the Cadillac Ranch. Mr. Bullard invited everyone to attend.