The State Board of Education has finalized an expansion budget that requests an additional $78 million to $337 million. In their letter to Governor Easley, top education officials say,
In 2008, our state and nation face difficult financial times. We understand this situation and know that it is critical for every education dollar to count toward reaching our goal of graduating every student from high school, globally competitive for work and postsecondary education, and prepared for life in the 21st Century. In light of this, we have prepared our 2009-11 Biennial Budget Expansion Request to focus on the most essential work that is underway to benefit our students, educators and schools. The State Board focused on the most critical needs and capped their priorities at 1% of the current State Public School Fund.
I do not think they will get very far with the request. The “Healthy Students Initiative” ($7 million), “Leadership Training” ($1 million), “Implementing 21st Century Principal and Teacher Standards” ($1 million), and “21st Century Classrooms” ($10 million) do not sound like critical needs.
