School districts are looking at every option to find funding for next year. This summer, a federal stimulus funding package ends, and could lead to teacher layoffs.
Dave DeWitt: Not every school district has what Wake County has a rainy day fund. Now, school board members are considering using a good chunk of the $35 million or so that’s in it to save 500 teacher jobs.
Superintendent Tony Tata proposed the idea. He defended it at a Wake School Board meeting yesterday. He is also asking the school board to request about $9 million more from the county commissioners.
Other school districts across the state also face a funding cliff this summer. Not only is the federal stimulus money going away, but the state legislature requires districts to give back a certain amount of what they get from the state in the form of so-called reversions.
Governor Bev Perdue is calling for a three-quarters of a cent increase in the state sales tax to cover the cuts to education.