With grocery and gas prices soaring, you may be wondering what you will be paying in local taxes next year.

The city and county school districts are now reviewing their superintendents' recommended budgets before sending them on to the Orange County Board of Commissioners for funding.

Local funding for the two school systems equals roughly one-third of the county's annual operating budget. This year, the county budget is $173.6 million. That costs property tax payers 95 cents per $100 valuation or $2,850 on a $300,000 home.

At this point, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and the Orange County Schools districts' requests total roughly $8.6 million more than last year. If the commissioners fund the schools in full, and fund them only through the ad valorem tax, it would add a little more than 6.6 cents to the county tax rate.

For the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, the county commissioners also have the option of increasing the school district tax. Right now the district tax is 20.35 cents per $100 valuation. The school board asked the commissioners to increase it by a little more than 7 cents to fund the entire budget increase for the city district. The board requests that not because that's the preferred revenue source but because the county commissioners can only raise the district tax as much as the school board requests.


WHAT THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT WANTS

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools approved its budget Thursday night. The school board is asking the county for $6.8 million more than last year for a total of roughly $61 million in local money.

Typically, when that district opens a new school, it asks the county to raise the special district tax to help cover those expenses. But the board asks for the full amount to be funded from the special district tax because the county commissioners can't raise the special district tax more than the school board has requested. Thursday night the board asked Pedersen to include an alternative scenario where roughly $2 million of the increase is covered by an increase in the special district tax, $1 million by the school district's fund balance and the rest by the countywide ad valorem tax.

Big-ticket items include:

• $1.78 million to open Morris Grove Elementary School, the district's 10th elementary school.
• $443,000 to cover price increases in utilities and bring school utility budgets up to date.
• $422,000 to add six English as a Second Language teachers to the district.
• $269,000 to add a senior class to Carrboro High School.

WHAT THE COUNTY SCHOOLS MAY REQUEST

Orange County Schools Superintendent Patrick Rhodes presented his recommended budget to the school board Monday. His big-ticket items include:

• $1.23 million for expected state salary increases and befits and three exceptional children's programs
• $132,000 for two English as a Second Language teacher positions.
• $66,000 for one gifted teacher position.

The school board hasn't discussed his recommendations in depth.


WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

The Orange County Board of Education will hold public hearings April 7at 6 p.m. and April 10 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of A.L. Stanback Middle School, 3700 N.C. 86, Hillsborough. Orange County Manager Laura Blackmon will present her budget to the Board of Commissioners May 20. The county commissioners will hold public hearings on May 27 at the New Courthouse, 106 E. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, and May 29 at the Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill. The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to approve a county budget in June.