Legislative Update: September 17th

Budget Update

The North Carolina General Assembly reconvened briefly last week to pass a mini-budget.  This was unexpected since their adjournment resolution specified November 19th as the date budgetary actions would occur. However, these resolutions are easily amended. The legislature is expected to resume work post-election in November and December. As a reminder, this is a short session year, but it certainly has not felt short in any form or fashion.

The mini-budget deals with these major items:

1. It allocates funding for enrollment growth for community colleges and for K-12. The increase for K-12 is $95 million.

2. It appropriates an additional $463 million towards Opportunity Scholarships. As a reminder, the rules are far more lenient for receiving scholarships, and there continues to be no accountability.  (PENC does not support Opportunity Scholarships, and we believe at a minimum that there should be accountability measures put in place).  

3. Requires sheriffs to cooperate with ICE which is in response to some sheriffs implying they intended to stop cooperating with the federal agency. 

   
   

The budget did not address teacher pay or many other budget items.  However, since this is being coined a “mini-budget”, we can only hope raises and other important items will be considered later in the year.

PENC Advocacy Team:

Tammy Beach

Bryan Holloway

Robert Mitchell