Classrooms Absorb Deep Cuts Under Senate Plan

Budget Cuts K-12 Education, Funds Prisoner Education

Raleigh, N.C. – The Senate budget proposal passed a second vote today and will be sent over to the House.  The proposal cuts $219 million from K-12 education.  No other part of the budget received such deep cuts that are not anticipated to be filled by federal dollars.  Only $12 million out of the $219 million, around 5 percent, of the cuts are to DPI administration.  The rest will have a direct effect on classrooms.  Meanwhile, as deep cuts are absorbed by K-12 education, Democrats decided to extend $20 million in funding to pay for prisoner tuition in community colleges.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) made the following statement:

“While it remains to be seen whether this budget will protect teachers, there is no doubt that it will have a detrimental effect on students and classrooms.  Cutting classrooms while extending funding for prisoner education is wrong.  This kind of decision arises from a flawed process that results in Democratic budget writers being out of touch with the needs of our state.  Until we build a budget from zero, justifying every dollar spent, we will never have a budget that truly reflects the priorities of our people.” 

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