Many of the smaller changes that came out of last week's state budget could have a sizable impact on local schools. One of the changes, added late in the negotiating process, cuts $9 million from programs aimed at helping at-risk students.
The cut was one of the many smaller pots of money that Republican budget writers used to pay for teacher raises.
“The little cuts are going to hurt in lots of other areas and school systems. Teachers, and parents are going to realize that even with the fantastic teacher raises included, schools are still going to be hurting,” says Graig Meyer, a democratic Legislator and former director of a mentoring program in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Schools.
Many districts likely would have used the money to provide additional learning coaches and reading specialists this coming year. The cut means funding for at-risk kids will revert to the previous year's funding level.