Raleigh, N.C. — After meeting for more than five hours, the Wake County Board of Education balanced its budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year on Monday, cutting more than $39 million from its spending plan.
Among those items cut was $543,600 in signing bonuses for teachers, $3.3 million for programs for academically gifted students; $4.4 million in foreign language programs in elementary schools; and $2.5 million for literacy coaches.
Among those items spared was $4.8 million in salary supplements and $4.1 million in employer contribution to dental benefits.
School system staff must now review the tentative budget. If there are no changes, the school board is expected to vote on it at a July 15 meeting.
In a move that drew criticism from school board members last week, the Board of Commissioners allotted the Wake County Public School System $319.2 million in its county budget for the 2008-2009 school year – nearly $36 million less than what the school board had requested but a 6 percent increase from the 2007-2008 school year.
School administrators and advocates argued the funding gap will hurt students and will keep the school system from progressing.
"We are going to go backward and end up with a school system that I don't think people are going to like very well," said Jennifer Lanane, president of the Wake County chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators.
The school system had asked for more than $355 million so that it could continue to provide its current level of services and programs for an estimated 6,000 additional students next school year. About $25 million of that money would have gone to new education programs.
School board members said the proposed budget – of which $3 million is in a reserve account and available only if the school system reaches its anticipated growth – leaves them nearly $12 million short of basic operating costs and without $25 million to start new programs.
"There will be an impact," Wake schools Superintendent Del Burns said. "It is hard to speculate what it will be and when it will touch students, but it will at some point in the process."
County money accounts for a third of the Wake school system's budget. The state supplies 61 percent and the federal government provides 6 percent.
Those sources will bring the school system's budget to around $1 billion for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Wake school board balances budget
- Reporter: Adam Owens
- Photographer: Chad Flowers
- Web Editors: Kelly Gardner, Anne Johnson
RELATED TOPICS: Wake County, Public Schools
Copyright 2011 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
188 Comments
| MOST | Viewed | E-mailed | Discussed | ||
Most Viewed Stories
Most Viewed Videos
Most Viewed Slideshows
| |||||
| MOST | Viewed | E-mailed | Discussed |
Most E-mailed Stories
Most E-mailed Videos | |||
Multimedia
Key dates in the investigation of Lance Armstrong on charges he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Key events in Iran's relations with the West.
An interactive look at the controversial decision and reversal of the Susan G. Komen Foundation to stop funding breast exams at Planned Parenthood.
New Townhomes in Chapel Hill - promo price
2012 Honda Civic Sign and Drive $199 per month.
Travel NC By Train: Click for Daily Schedules!



![[SLIDESHOW]](http://wwwcache.wral.com/asset/entertainment/out_and_about/2012/02/04/10712136/pics_agunn53833-100x75.jpg)
![[SLIDESHOW]](http://wwwcache.highschoolot.com/asset/content/2012/02/11/10717011/10717011-1328936455-100x75.jpg)
![[SLIDESHOW]](http://wwwcache.highschoolot.com/asset/content/2012/02/11/10717059/10717059-1328939591-100x75.jpg)
![[SLIDESHOW]](http://wwwcache.highschoolot.com/asset/content/2012/02/11/10717043/10717043-1328939633-100x75.jpg)






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.
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.
Wow, I couldn't have said it better....
June 24, 2008 2:56 p.m.
pay your teachers!
June 24, 2008 12:53 p.m.
June 24, 2008 12:38 p.m.
June 24, 2008 12:23 p.m.
June 24, 2008 11:53 a.m.