The N.C. State Board of Education’s budget priorities were presented to the Joint Education Appropriations committee on Tuesday. The full 2008 request totals $385.7 million, which is a 5 percent of the current year’s budget. A full list of priorities can be found at: http://www.ncpapa.org
The focus of the Board’s priorities include, supporting a salary increase for teachers and school personnel and to extend learning for students through More at Four, Learn and Earn and Learn and Earn Online, and the Graduation Project.
The Board’s top priorities include:
· Teacher Mentors-
o Fund 1 full time mentor for every 15 newly hired teacher sin their 1st through 3rd year of teaching and for every 15 new instructional support personnel in their 1st and 2nd year.
o $37,795,000
· Connectivity-
o Fully fund the needed target of $25 million. Funded 12 million in FY 2007-08.
o $12,000,000
· 21st Century Classrooms-
o Would equip 50 percent of middle school classrooms with digital white board, data projectors, computers, document cameras, and support personnel.
o $59,823,504
· Comprehensive Support for Districts and Schools-
o Personnel/assessment cost to implement comprehensive support to all school districts. Adds 47 positions with 9 being re-purposed. Include funding for the 15.8 federal positions to be re-purposed to this initiative because the federal funding has been eliminated or significantly reduced.
o $8,074,501
· Children with Disabilities-
o To reach funding at 230 percent of regular ADM funding, it will require an additional $100+ million.
o $40,000,000
· Academically and Intellectually Gifted-
o Increases funding factor by 20 percent.
o $12,796,372
· DSSF-
o Reduce allotment ratios by two and continue hold harmless to 16 original districts.
o $86,231,773
· Child Nutrition-
o Cover the higher cost of operations due to implementing nutritional standards and salary/other cost increases.
o $20,000,000
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