School leaders predict bleak future for public education

Raleigh, N.C. — Nearly two dozen school system superintendents from across North Carolina held a news conference in Raleigh on Monday to illustrate how proposed state budget cuts could hurt their students.

"We are at the end of our ability to make it work,” state school Superintendent June Atkinson said.

In Johnston County, there are lay-offs. In Chatham County, buses are barely able to get students to school. In Granville County, schools can't be kept clean, and in Forsyth County, schools are cutting courses.

"Quite frankly, we are frustrated,” Wilson County School District Superintendent Larry Price said.

Price said his county is dealing with larger class sizes and fewer positions. It’s among the many problems school districts across the state are dealing with.

"We are asking them (teachers) to literally take days without pay,” said Don Martin, the superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

One by one, district leaders presented the challenges they will face if the state makes more cuts to public education.

"More arts and electives and foreign language and advanced placement classes will need to dropped," Wake County interim Superintendent Donna Hargens said. "The ability to support 21st Century learning initiatives will be handcuffed. With more cuts, we will be taking a giant step backward."

As schools looks for extra funds, budget negotiations continue between the state House of Representatives and the state Senate.

"No one wants to cut education anywhere and our priority is on preserving the classroom,” GOP Sen. Richard Stevens of Wake County said.

Lawmakers say they are continuing to work to save money in the budget for schools.

For example, Rep. Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland, who is the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, says there are conversations between both chambers of the General Assembly on using an additional $90 million lottery funds to make up budget gaps.

"We can eliminate all the classroom cuts and instructional cuts throughout the state,” Glazier said of his proposal.

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In Chatham County, buses are barely able to get students to school.

Is the principal N. Boone leaving?

wildcat
June 16, 2010 4:21 p.m.

animal lover-"Don't get me wrong, I understand a need for good pay & benefits. But, by the same token, ALL the teacher workdays are pure luxury in this state. I asked a teacher-friend about that in another state ages ago; she couldn't believe the huge amt of the teacher workdays here. Does this indicate "spoiled"?"

The national average for the number of days students spend in school is 180. NC students spend 180 days in school also. Workdays are in addition to this and are usually filled with workshops, meetings, lesson planning, and getting the classroom together or apart. The number of workdays is irrelevant in any case since they are in addition to the regular school days. To answer your question though, yes teachers in NC do have more workdays than teachers from states with unions. We work more and get paid less.

Plenty Coups
June 15, 2010 6:57 p.m.

Here's an idea: cut teachers last. AFTER you cut bigwigs at the central office and the money they spend on (1) consultants, (2) idiotic programs that make good teachers roll their eyes, (3) unnecessary technology (I love technology, but i-touches for whole schools, please), etc. The lowest paid people at most central offices pretty-much run the school systems while the highest paid people constantly spend money to justify their jobs.

georgegray
June 15, 2010 6:55 p.m.

Well lets see, in the boom years, housing developments upon housing developments were built, and the people came. Now all those people are here, with their children, and the infrastructure is no where near what is needed to service all these people. A SERIOUS lack of foresight on those in charge of maintaining proper growth. Now we have far more children to teach in public schools, and thanks to the recession dwindling tax revenue to pay for it all. Quite a mess. Perhaps a nice kick back to the days of when school was reading, writing and arithmetic... and a lot less art, sports, and all the other fluff. Or you can just cuts jobs and services. Bottom line, unless NC gets ANOTHER govt bailout our kids will end up paying back (13 TRILLION so far), cuts will have to be made.