Tillis: Manning should run for legislature

By Laura Leslie

Posted: June 22, 2011
Updated: June 23, 2011

Judge Howard Manning just wrapped up the first day of a hearing on the effects of next year's budget cuts on education in North Carolina. One witness after another took the stand to say the cuts will do lasting damage to schools and the students that rely on them - especially those in low-wealth counties that don't have local money to fall back on.

Manning is trying to ascertain whether the budget cuts will violate Leandro, a state Supreme Court ruling that holds the state responsible for ensuring low-income students have the same access as wealthier students to a "sound, basic education" under the state constitution.

House Speaker Thom Tillis issued the following statement in response to today's proceedings:

“If Judge Manning wants to vote on the budget, he should run for office as a legislator. While I respect his opinion on judicial matters, it appears that this is an attempt to literally legislate from the bench. I respectfully disagree with his conclusions; our education budget is only 0.5% different from the Governor’s, and it protects classroom funding, including every teacher and teacher assistant position in the state.”

On the stand today, Cumberland County Associate Superintendent Ricky Lopes testified his district has had to cut more than 100 teaching assistant positions as a direct result of the state budget.

The hearing resumes at 10am Thursday. We'll be livestreaming it here at WRAL.com. You can find today's archived video here.

4 Comments

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we look forward to voting him out

lawranger9752
June 23, 2011 9:51 p.m.

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And by the way...

While Rep. Tillis's disingenous comments fly completely over the heads of his supporters, rest assured that Judge Manning is more than intelligent enough to know that the difference in the budgets is NOT just a matter of $120 million dollars.

BIlzac
June 23, 2011 3:51 p.m.

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Wish I lived in Rep. Tillis's district...

Hoping that those of you that do will remember the ...

...back room locker room talk when microphones were on ...the petty "We'll get ya" comments about educator representatives ...the lovely raises for HIS people at the same time he was cutting jobs across the state swearing there was simply no money ...and now his insulting a long standing, highly regarded Judge of the State of North Carolina, AND of his OWN party.

Please don't forget.

BIlzac
June 23, 2011 3:49 p.m.

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How can Tillis keep twisting the truth about the budget protecting teacher positions?

MoniqueNC
June 23, 2011 9:54 a.m.

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