Forum seeks solution to education funding woes

Raleigh, N.C. — State and county leaders held a forum Tuesday night to discuss how to keep education standards high as the recession confronts school systems with budget shortfalls, layoffs and building delays.

Karen Rindge, executive director of the forum organizer WakeUP Wake County, said the goal was to keep communities focused on providing the best education possible despite budget woes.

In Wake County, Superintendent Del Burns has said the school system might have to take some tough measures to keep within budget for next year.

"It is likely there will be larger class sizes. It is likely the level of services provided will change. We may have to eliminate some services," Burns said.

The school system has proposed $1.7 billion budget for 2009-2010 – $700,000 more than this year's budget – but could get less than that from the county and state, Burns has cautioned. Despite the extra funding in the proposed budget, per-pupil spending would still drop, with an anticipated 2,500 new students entering the system and three new schools opening.

The WakeUP Wake education forum was held at 7 p.m. at the McKimmon Center on Gorman Street in Raleigh.

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xxxxxxxxxxxxx -- you miss the point -- THEY ARE NOT CITIZENS we don't want them to be productive citizens, we want them to go home!

dmnynkee
May 12, 2009 4:33 p.m.

chfdcpt -- you are so right, but it's the federal politicians that need the boot. That and actually enforce the laws we have on the books - round them up and kick them out, why is that such a hard concept for the head of Homeland Security?

dmnynkee
May 12, 2009 4:31 p.m.

I am tired of the drain illegals put on our system when the people who come here legally are not given all the same benefits. It does not surprise me that someone on a Visa had to pay for her child's education -- those who come here legally don't get the same treatment as the illegals. If you are here legally and need food stamps or medicaid, they go after your sponsor for the money (the same way they go after the dead-beat parents). That's why so many people are ticked - if you want fair, make it fair for everyone.

dmnynkee
May 12, 2009 4:29 p.m.

I worked in the office of an elem. school here - I hated seeing obvious illegals coming and registering for school knowing how much extra it would cost to get them the aid they needed to learn (most spoke no english on arrival and therefore would get ESL classes)

I looked into it - the state law can say anything - a Supreme Court case said (basically) although they are not "entitled" to an education, to not educate them would create a "shadow society" that was not in the country's best interest; therefore their finding was the local school systems need to provide full service, legal or not.

dmnynkee
May 12, 2009 4:20 p.m.

Bottom line is that the federal rules require that all public school systems provide an equal education to non-citizens. Therefore, federal mandate trumps state rules. I wish that those folks that yell first about the illegals inform themselves about the current federal laws mandating these issues.

It is very easy to fix all these problems. Vote them all out. Since neither party has shown the will to work on the problem, we should not vote any D or R back into office. Of course, the sheep will send them right back.