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NC Budget

fuheel

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Anyone following the budgetary debate in Raleigh? I don't want to start this thread off with anything inflammatory, but I'm really not a fan of the Republicans proposed budget. I hope they don't get the 4 Dem votes and Gov Perdue vetoes it.
 
I would be interested, as a State, where NC ranks in per/student spending and where we stand nationally on graduation rates and test scores. The crux of the argument against the Republican budget is that it will cut teaching jobs and hurt students. I don't think you can make that argument without considering how well we are using the money we already dedicate to education. My two cents.
 
Kind of difficult to tell where we are on the per-pupil spending list. The Dems seem to indicate that this these cuts will drop us to either 49 or 50
 
It's hard to argue that reducing funds will help fix underperforming schools. Or, more accurately, it's impossible to argue that.
 
The per-student numbers are sort of staggering, especially since they don't include the building/facility costs that are paid by the counties' school systems (via the counties' property taxes).

The public school system in North Carolina is clearly not functioning well, in almost any regard. We have a lot of teachers that flat out aren't pulling their weight, almost all of them tenured, and we have a lot of teachers who are carrying everyone else's load and are significantly underpaid, many of them also tenured.
 
It's hard to argue that reducing funds will help fix underperforming schools. Or, more accurately, it's impossible to argue that.

Oh, I'll give it a shot to humor you. The problem, as I see it, is not the amount of money being thrown at it. If that were so the District of Columbia school system would be the envy of the free world. The problem is how the money is being spent. And I would make the argument that you could cut the budget 10%, redistribute it so more money went directly to schools and it would have no negative consequence on performance. In fact, I think it would improve performance.
 
The problem with some schools is money. The problem with education in America on a larger scale is the view of the importance of education.

Kids who think that education is important will work harder.

Parents who think education is important will be more involved. I think parental involvement is just as important, if not more so, as quality of educators.
 
Much of what is going on right now in the NC Legislature is freshman Republicans trying to stick it to the democrats and posture themselves for the next election. They talk about wanting to create/save jobs, and yet their budget puts thousands in the unemployment line (estimates have been anywhere from 8-12K). According to the Dems, extending the 0.75 cent income tax would prevent those jobs from being lost, but the GOP refuses to consider that. I understand what the Republicans are trying to do, but they're going about the wrong way at the wrong time, and seemingly just to prove a point (just like they've been doing with unemployment benefits that they've delayed). It's chaos on Jones St. these days.
 
Education is obviously another problem we should just throw money at, without any regard for the efficiency of the department. Its so unreasonable of the taxpaying base to request that teachers be evaluated and retained based on performance.

Well at least that's one party's position.
 
Education is obviously another problem we should just throw money at, without any regard for the efficiency of the department. Its so unreasonable of the taxpaying base to request that teachers be evaluated and retained based on performance.

Well at least that's one party's position.

If they want to change the way they evaluate teachers, that's fine...but that's not what they're doing.
 
The lobbyists around Raleigh are freaking out beacuse the 'pubs are moving so fast that the business community can't get a handle on what they are doing.
 
Education is obviously another problem we should just throw money at, without any regard for the efficiency of the department. Its so unreasonable of the taxpaying base to request that teachers be evaluated and retained based on performance.

Well at least that's one party's position.

I guess the solution to the complex issue is to spend the 2nd least per pupil.
 
It's hard to argue that reducing funds will help fix underperforming schools. Or, more accurately, it's impossible to argue that.

No amount of money will offset the lack of accountability and expectations that has weighed our schools down for a generation.
 
I know a lot of young people who are teaching in the schools in my hometown. Most of them probably shouldn't be teaching.

I think that the pay is way too low to get more qualified people to want to teach. Why would I pay for four years of college to take a job only making in the low to mid $30,000 neighborhood? Why would I get a master's to only get a raise to maybe $40,000?
 
You're not going to get a good answer to that one, Helton.
 
No amount of money will offset the lack of accountability and expectations that has weighed our schools down for a generation.

Fix the administration. But certainly do not reduce funding. Double funding.
 
Education is obviously another problem we should just throw money at, without any regard for the efficiency of the department. Its so unreasonable of the taxpaying base to request that teachers be evaluated and retained based on performance.

Well at least that's one party's position.

No one, ever, has argued to just throw money at a problem without any regard to efficiency. Why not throw money at the problem -- don't act like public schools are well funded -- while also increasing efficiency?

Create workable standards to accurately judge performance -- read: not naked standardized testing -- and you'll get universal agreement.
 
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