Senate leader says education cuts possible

Fayetteville, N.C. — A growing budget deficit could force state lawmakers to cut education spending, an idea that previously had been unthinkable, Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand said Monday.

Fiscal analysts have projected the deficit to hit $2 billion, or about 10 percent of the $21 billion budget. Gov. Beverly Perdue has ordered state agencies to cut spending by 7 percent to erase half of the deficit, and she appealed last week to members of the North Carolina congressional delegation and the incoming Obama administration for federal help to erase the rest.

Rand noted that 60 percent of the state budget goes to education, while another 20 percent goes to the Department of Health and Human Services and 10 percent goes to the Department of Correction. Lawmakers would be hard-pressed to cut DHHS or corrections because of the much-publicized problems in state mental hospitals and with the probation system, he said.

Making up the deficit out of the 10 percent of the budget allocated to other programs would be nearly impossible, which could put education cuts on the table, Rand said.

The General Assembly convenes on Jan. 28.

13 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 13 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments

teacher56...you buy school supplies because you want to, not because you have to. This is the same argument with the illegals. They are here and we have to take care of them.

whatusay
January 22, 2009 5:44 p.m.

I thought the NC Education Lottery was supposed to solve these problems.

whatusay
January 22, 2009 5:42 p.m.

This comment is for wa4mjf: unfortunately, the State does not cover the all the necessary items for teaching...teachers supplementing the classroom covers most of what is needed as most parents are lucky to even send their kids to school with pencils! Some schools do not have a supply room filled with paper, markers, erasers, pencils, pens, scissors, whiteboard markers, erasers, copy paper, tagboard, pads, etc. The teachers purchase those materials. Some schools do not have a math manipulative kit so teachers purchase manipulatives to teach Math. Also, some teachers who do not work in WCPSS do not make supplements or make way less than Wake does. Teachers do not need to be supplementing other people's children PLUS give up salary, benefits and other things.

teacher56
January 22, 2009 3:21 p.m.

colliedave WHAT YOU ARE SUGGESTING HERE IN YOUR BLOG IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH STATE GOVERNMENT TODAY THEY ARE TRYING TO RUN IT AS IF IT WAS A COPORATION AN NOT FOR IT TO BE RESPONSEIVE TO THE TAXPAYERS OF THE STATE OF NC WHICH IS IN MY OPINION IS TOTALY WRONG. IF MOST BUSINESSES WERE BEING RUN AS IS STATE GOVERNMENT BEING RUN TODAY IT WOULD SURELY GO BANKRUPT AS IS THE STATE IS CLAIMING IT IS IN A DEEP DEFEICT THEY SURELY HAVENT USED BEST MANGAMENT PRACTICES IN THE OPERATION OF STATE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE IF THEY HAD DONE SO THEY WOULD NOT BE BORDERING ON THE DEEP DECEFICTS THAT THEY ARE TODAY . THEY SURELY HAVENT EVEN STOPED TO CONSIDER THERI BOTTOM LINES WITH THE SECESIONS THAT THEY HAVE MADE OVER THE LAST PAST EIGHT YEARS. AN THEY SURELY HAVENT TAKEN IN TO CONSIDERATION ANYTHING THAT JUST MIGHT BE IN THE BEST INSTREST OF THEIR EMPLOYEES. REMEBER HAPPY EMPLOYEE ARE PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEES. HA' HA' HA' AS IF THEY EVEN CARE WHEATHER OR NOT THEIR EMPLOYEES ARE HAPPY IN THEIR JOBS OR NOT THANKS

pbjbeach
January 21, 2009 1:18 p.m.

I agree with the administrator taking a pay cut, some of these people make more than the governor does. I would go a step further a require all student parent to provide proof of citizenship, no more free ride to illegals..the exception would be WADE county,let the county raise their taxs, I would not want them to become illegal unfriendly.

Bob3425
January 21, 2009 7:07 a.m.