Education CEO Bill Harrison and State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson have a bold message for teachers: we’re not on your side.
In a memo to local educators, Harrison and Atkinson point out that you can cut every administrator, school supply, and textbook funded by the state and it will still not be enough to make up for the budget shortfall. (Hint, hint, teachers: don’t fear the reaper.) They even (finally?) admit that increasing taxes will not do the job. They write, ?Even with new revenue sources, it is highly unlikely that they would bring in enough money to fill the budget shortfall.?
It is sensible to consider eliminating non-classroom and non-essential positions first. That’s not to say that all teachers will be spared. But it reflects the right priorities, namely to protect the classroom.
The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) is reporting that (behind closed doors) budget writers have proposed cutting up to 12,000 teacher jobs and instituting a 10 percent pay cut for all teachers. If these rumors are true, I argue that a proposal to shorten the school year should be back on the table.
