A ruling by a State Superior court judge has revived the battle over the state budget.
Judge Howard Manning ruled yesterday that the state budget – passed last month – is unconstitutional. Republicans cut programs that serve at-risk kids by 20 percent. Manning says that means those kids are not being provided a sound basic education. Democrats and advocates for children hailed the ruling. Stephanie Fanjul is President of the North Carolina Partnership for Children. She says the ruling validates early childhood programs, like Smart Start and More at Four.
Stephanie Fanjul:" It is wonderful and very rewarding to hear our superior court judge speak to that and what the children of North Carolina are entitled to. "
Republican leaders in the state legislature say they will now go back to the drawing board to try to find the money. They will need to replace as much as 40-million dollars that was cut from early childhood programs.