The Wake County Public School System, the largest district in North Carolina, is drafting its next budget without finalized figures from Raleigh. District leaders are asking the county for more than $25 million in additional funding as they work to close the gap.
Frustration is mounting among parents and educators who say the delay is creating uncertainty across the district.
"It's just overwhelming to have this back and forth, back-and-forth discussion," said Marie Dexter, Wake PTA president. "And I, as a parent, I really feel like that the General Assembly is just trying to make headlines at this point."
Teachers also say the lack of a finalized state budget leaves critical issues unresolved, including pay.
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"I think affordability is at the top of people's minds. Wanting a budget passed, wanting raises, living wages, and all of those things, so people can be able to live and support their families," said Christina Cole, president of Wake NCAE.
State House and Senate leaders have agreed on a budget compromise framework, but the measure has not yet reached Gov. Josh Stein's desk. If a final budget is approved by July 1, teachers could receive bonuses in July; delays would push back those payments.
Meanwhile, the return of hot weather has renewed concerns about school infrastructure, particularly aging heating and cooling systems.
A handful of schools, including Reedy Creek and Salem Elementary, experienced cooling issues on Monday as temperatures climbed into the mid-90s. District officials said no students or staff members became ill because of the heat.
"We keep talking over and over about how our schools are having HVAC problems, plumbing problems," Dexter said.
Parents say the conditions can directly affect students' ability to learn.
"If our kids don't have an environment that they can learn in, they're not going to learn," Dexter said.
Concerns extend beyond air conditioning. Some parents reported additional issues, including access to restrooms at one elementary school.
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"I've also been seeing in the past couple of days about bathrooms being closed at an elementary school. There's not enough bathrooms for the students to actually go to the bathroom," Dexter said.
District leaders said schools have worked to manage those situations.
"I did get correspondence from the principal that she managed, that they got the kids water. They were able to go to the bathrooms," said Mark Strickland, the district's chief of facilities and operations.
Officials say the recurring problems highlight the need for long-term investment in school buildings and systems.
"We've got some budget challenges ahead of us. We have not done a great job of maintaining things that come down to budget and staffing and what we can pay people," Strickland said.
He added that while some problem schools have been addressed this year, maintaining and upgrading aging systems remains a significant challenge.
"This year in particular, we had a few problem schools that are now off the list that had been resolved. And so now it's up to us to figure out a way how we can manage and maintain those systems," Strickland said.
The Wake County Board of Commissioners must approve the district's budget by June 1. As discussions continue, families and educators say they are watching closely, concerned about how both funding delays and facility conditions could affect students, particularly during end-of-grade testing at the close of the school year.