I disagree with parts of N.C. Budget and Tax Center fellow Tazra Mitchell’s analysis of the state budget, but I appreciate the fact that she lays out an argument without the mean-spirited (ha!) tone that we have come to expect from from some on the left.
That said, the key to Tazra’s argument is as follows:
Even though the budget increases overall K-12 spending compared to last year’s budget, it is noticeably not enough of an increase to meet the overall continuation needs for the K-12 system.
We agree on the fact that the budget increases overall K-12 spending. Good.
On the other hand, she opines that the increase is not enough to meet the needs of the K-12 system because it falls short of the continuation budget. I disagree. We acknowledge the fact that spending increased, but have an honest difference of opinion about what the increase means for public schools.
Regardless of who formulated the continuation budget, I believe that the next step is to examine the assumptions built into that budget, rather than simply assuming that it accurately measures the needs of the public school system. But that’s just my opinion.
