LUMBERTON — A list of funding needs to be presented to the Robeson County Board of Commissioners was drafted Tuesday by the Finance Committee of the Public Schools of Robeson County Board of Education.

Among the list of needs PSRC will ask for help in funding is the addition of school safety enhancements, that comes at a price tag of $2 million; school resource officers at each school, about $1.1 million; and $985,800 to help pay for teacher supplements, which are salary bonuses given twice a year.

The price tag for immediate needs is more than $4.9 million and eventual needs carry a cost of more than $6.5 million, said Erica Setzer, PSRC Chief Finance officer.

“A lot of what’s on here, we’ve asked for for years,” said Craig Lowry, PSRC Board of Education chairman.

The list must first be approved by the full School Board, which next meets on Tuesday. Lowry said he is open to meeting with the Robeson County Board of Commissioners, along with Setzer, Finance Committee Chairman Mike Smith and Superintendent Freddie Williamson to discuss needs.

Lowry said SROs are of utmost importance to him. There are 13 schools that are assigned SROs “as needed,” meaning they call the officers to help in situations, but an SRO is not physically on campus for work shifts.

“I just think that every school in this county needs an SRO officer on that campus,” he said.

“We can’t afford to place an officer at every school as it stands right now,” Setzer said.

But Finance Committee members are hoping the county commissioners will consider helping them fill that need.

Also on the list is safety enhancements at schools, which includes updating each office with a doorbell system, safety equipment and for training for staff members.

Regarding the $985,800 for teacher supplements, commissioners typically fund the request at $930,000. The PSRC request involves increasing the current 6% supplement to 10%.

Plans are also to ask for $2.5 million to help fill the funding gap for custodians, office staff and substitute teachers.

The state hasn’t fully funded those needs since it allotted $8.4 million in 2009-10 fiscal year, according to Setzer. In 2021, the state allotted $5.8 million, she said.

During Tuesday’ meeting Setzer told committee members she couldn’t give an exact number for the operating budget until she hears more from the state. She told The Robesonian the total planning budget, which includes, state, local, capital outlay and enterprise funding, is $205,223,070, but the number will likely change. The budget plan also did not include federal funds.

“So far, we have the governor’s budget that has been submitted. We’re waiting on the House and the Senate version,” Setzer said. “So, we won’t know what these numbers truly look like until we get a final budget for this year.”

In other matters, Lowry said funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damage caused by Hurricane Matthew still hasn’t come through.

The school system was planning to use the money to help it move forward with building a career and technology center, which is projected to cost about $82.3 million. The PSRC received in October 2020 a $15 million grant from the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund for the project, but the grant requires a local match of $5 million. If the funding doesn’t come in, Lowry said a decision must be made on whether or not to send the money back.

Lowry also said PSRC needs to address aging tennis courts that are “in bad shape” at various high schools.