Weeks to vote. Your schools are on the line.

Durham officials warn there will be school cuts if statewide tax caps pass.

Tax caps are on the ballot this November in North Carolina.

One plan would lock the state income tax cap at 3.5 percent.

Another would order the legislature to cap local property taxes later.

These caps do not cut taxes today. They limit your county’s choices tomorrow.

Property taxes make up 61 percent of Durham’s general fund.

That money pays for schools, public safety, roads, and basics.

Put a ceiling on that and you cut room to fix roofs, keep buses running, and keep class sizes sane.

Durham schools already face nearly $1 billion in maintenance needs.

Big repairs and new buildings need bonds. Property tax growth pays those bonds back.

Pass the cap and projects stall.

Shortfalls show up in your kid’s classroom.

Kids lose first.

Durham raised property taxes by 2.5 cents this year to fund raises for school staff.

Even that fell short of the district’s ask.

Then millions in revenue vanished after $4.4 billion in property value reductions were granted, mostly to corporations.

Families get fewer services while big players get breaks.

Wake County is weighing cuts too to cover a gap from new state-mandated raises and bonuses.

State orders land, and local boards scramble.

Durham leaders say a constitutional property tax cap would reduce flexibility to meet needs.

State funding for public education has been declining for decades.

Less help from the state plus locked local revenue equals cuts to classrooms.

Pick a lane.

Either we fund schools, or we pretend caps fix math.

You do not have to be a Democrat to want working buses, safe buildings, and enough teachers.

You need leaders who can run the basics without locking your town into limits it cannot change.

We have weeks, not years.

• Ask your county commissioners which school projects get delayed if tax caps pass
• Show up at your next school board meeting and press for a plan to protect classrooms from budget gaps
• Vote in 2026 to replace the officials who failed to fund your schools
• Check your voter registration at Vote.gov

Countdown

The 2026 midterms are in 29 days.

References

‘There Are Going to Be Cuts’: Durham Officials Warn Tax Measures Could Hinder School Funding – INDY Week . Oct 2, 2026
Wake school board weighs budget cuts aimed at closing a funding gap created by new state-mandated salary increases and bonuses – ABC11 News . Aug 18, 2026