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The Senate released its proposed budget this week.  This week’s CommenTerry focuses on the K-12 education portion of the budget proposal.

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CommenTerry

The bottom line is that the NC Senate budget recommendation would increase public school funding.  Last year, the General Assembly approved $7,444,122,100 in public education funding for the upcoming fiscal year.  The proposed budget would increase the K-12 budget to $7,478,264,218.  (That is a net increase of $34,142,118.)  Unlike the budget approved by the NC House, the Senate’s does not use temporary state funding to "buffer" the loss of temporary federal funding for public school personnel. Much to their credit, Senate budget writers discontinued the three-year trend of using temporary funds for permanent expenditures.

Big-ticket items in the Senate education budget include a recurring appropriation of $47,414,503 for the Excellent Public Schools Act and $74,076,032 to decrease the "LEA Adjustment."  The LEA adjustment (also called the "discretionary reduction," "flexibility reduction," and "negative reserve") is a budget maneuver introduced by Democrat budget writers a few years ago. It requires school districts to return a predetermined amount of state public school funding to the General Fund.  In order to decrease the adjustment, the legislature would need to increase funding.  (Just as The Evasions noted in their classic song "Wikka Wrap," "you’ve gotta get up to get down.")  The House budget decreased the adjustment even further but used one-time money to do so.  It is encouraging to see both chambers take steps to reduce the adjustment.

The budget also includes up to $84,964,142 for public school salary increases.  The Senate allows local districts to determine how to use these funds. According to the Senate Committee Report, districts may use the money for merit increases, across-the-board increases, recruitment bonuses, retention increases, and other bonuses.  Districts may also use the funds to offset the LEA flexibility adjustment and to employ personnel.

The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), among others, objects to this part of the Senate plan because it would not require school districts to use their portion of the $85 million salary appropriation for across-the-board raises.  In fact, this is the kind of budgetary move that groups such as the NCAE fear the most.  Public school advocacy groups would rather pull the strings of a few legislators in Raleigh than use their considerable financial resources to try to influence the way that 115 different school boards spend state education money.  That is all the more reason why local spending flexibility is so important.

The Senate budget also includes recurring appropriations for residential schools ($4,500,000) and Governor’s Schools ($800,000).  Supporters of the Governor’s Schools have been able to raise enough money to keep the program going, so legislators should redirect the money to more productive uses.  I recommend using $300,000 of the Governor’s Schools funding for the Communities in Schools Reading Corps project and the other $500,000 for improvements to EVAAS, the Education Value-Added Assessment System.  The CIS Reading Corps would complement the literacy initiatives proposed in the Excellent Public Schools Act.  Furthermore, districts will need EVAAS if Republican leaders implement the kind of merit pay system proposed by Senate leaders.

The Senate budget does not follow the House’s lead by including "pass through" funding for the Teacher Cadet program ($200,000), PTA Parental Involvement Initiative ($150,000), Tarheel ChalleNGe ($4 million), and the Teaching Fellows Program ($3.3 million).  It will be interesting to see if the House leadership plans to fight for these line items, particularly the Teaching Fellows Program.  Obviously, the Senate does not share the House’s enthusiasm for maintaining state funding for the Teaching Fellows Program.

Expect the Senate to approve the budget quickly and get on with the business of crafting a compromise budget with the House.  What emerges from those negotiations is anyone’s guess.

Random Thought

Speaking of "Wikka Wrap" by The Evasions, the favorite line in the song is, "Here the tropically sensuous beat makes you wanna do things most self respecting people could be arrested for."

Facts and Stats

Major increases in the Senate’s K-12 education budget proposal:

  • LEA Adjustment Reduction: $74,076,032 (Recurring)
  • Residential Schools: $4,500,000 (Recurring)
  • Governor’s Schools: $800,000 (Recurring)
  • Excellent Public Schools Act: $47,414,503 (Recurring)
  • Public School Salary Increases/Personnel Flexibility: $84,964,142 (Recurring)

Mailbag

I would like to invite all readers to submit announcements, as well as their personal insights, anecdotes, concerns, and observations about the state of education in North Carolina.  I will publish selected submissions in future editions of the newsletter.  Anonymity will be honored.  For additional information or to send a submission, email Terry at [email protected].

Education Acronym of the Week

LEA — Local Education Agency

Quote of the Week

"We don’t have unlimited dollars to put in any particular portion of the budget."

– Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore of the Senate (R-Guilford, Rockingham)

Click here for the Education Update archive.