Tax Caps Put Classrooms on the Line

Two tax-cap amendments on North Carolina’s ballot would limit future income and property taxes. Local leaders warn this would squeeze school funding and basic services.

Here’s the pocketbook part. Property taxes make up 61% of Durham County’s general fund, which pays for schools, public safety, roads, and more. Lock those taxes into the state constitution, and the county loses the main tool it uses when costs rise.

One measure would drop the state income tax cap from 7% to 3.5%. The other would order the legislature to limit local property taxes, with the exact cap set later. These do not cut taxes today. They lock how high you can go tomorrow.

Durham’s school board and county commissioners have urged voters to reject the caps. The district faces nearly $1 billion in building repairs and plans to consolidate older schools, which would require another bond that depends on reliable local revenue.

In June, the county raised property taxes by 2.5 cents to give raises to Durham Public Schools’ classified staff. Even then, the budget still fell short of the district’s request.

There’s another hit. Officials granted $4.4 billion in property value reductions, mostly helping corporations, which wiped out millions the county expected to collect for classrooms and other services.

Cap taxes. Cut schools.

This strain is not just in Durham. In Maryland, at least 430 Montgomery County school jobs are on the chopping block to close a budget gap. In Wake County, the school board is weighing cuts to cover state-mandated raises and bonuses that came without enough state funding.

We reported earlier this week that classroom services are already on the block. Writing tax caps into the constitution turns a temporary squeeze into a standing rule your county cannot work around.

You don’t have to be a Democrat to see the problem. Corporations won big valuation breaks, and families are left with bigger classes and fewer services.

This vote decides whether local leaders can keep up with rising costs or must cut deeper when needs grow.

Tell the neighbor who skipped the last election why this ballot matters to their kid’s school budget. Then vote like the roof, the bus routes, and the classroom depend on it.

• Show this to someone who sat out the last election and explain what these caps do to school budgets
• Ask your school board and county what programs get cut if the tax caps pass
• Make a plan to vote on the amendments and bring a neighbor
• Check your voter registration at Vote.gov

Countdown

The 2026 midterms are in 15 days.

References

Budget gaps are putting school funding and classroom services on the chopping block. Oct 5, 2026
Budget gaps are putting school funding and classroom services on the chopping block. Oct 5, 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