In an email sent to Wake County Schools staff, Superintendent Jim Merrill and Chief Operating Officer David Neter skirt the fact that the county commission, not the N.C. General Assembly, is responsible for their multi-million dollar budget shortfall.  They wrote,

Tuesday afternoon we presented recommendations to our School Board for closing a $17.5 million funding gap in our Proposed 2016-17 Operating Budget. This is the gap between the School Board’s proposed budget approved in May and the revenue provided in the final Wake County and State of North Carolina budgets.

No layoffs are required to close this gap. In fact, our recommendations include a 3% salary increase for all support staff and a half-percent bonus after combining state and local resources. This is similar to the increase received by county employees this year.

Our teachers and certified staff will receive pay increases as provided by state lawmakers. Those amounts vary depending on years of experience. Also, we will continue with the scheduled year two phase-in of increases to performance pay for teachers who take on extra academic and athletic duties. …

According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, state per pupil expenditures have increased every year between 2011 and 2015, providing a nearly $600 per student boost.  Local dollars also increased, but federal funds have dropped significantly in recent years.