N.C.'s Public Schools To Get Their Money Despite Budget Woes

State lawmakers failed to include $29 million to pay for the cost of getting thousands of new students into the state's public schools on, but Easley signed an executive order Thursday to get the money to the schools right away.

"The kids are back in school. They need the funds. They are scrambling for those dollars now and under my constitutional authority, I am going to sign an executive order that allows the state budget office to spend the money before the Legislature passes the budget," he said.

Easley said North Carolina has more than 1.3 million children in the state's public schools, which is up nearly 26,000 from last year.