Under a new proposal from Superintendent Tony Tata, The Wake County Schools budget will shrink by $24 million next year.
Dave DeWitt: Even with the cuts, Tata says there will be no teacher layoffs. In fact, he expects to be able to give teachers a one percent raise - their first in four years.
At this point, the budget is just a proposal. It includes $28 million less in federal money that was used to save about 500 teacher jobs this year. The state is also expected to provide less funding next year. The Wake County Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners must agree on a budget by June.
In the School Board meeting yesterday, Tata also gave an update on the implementation of the new student assignment plan. The families of about 20,000 students participated in the so-called "choice plan" so far, with 75 percent being granted their first-choice school. Tata called that a "success story."