Governor Bev Perdue plans to shift 20 million dollars into funding for the state's pre-kindergarten academic enrichment program.
The governor has issued an executive order to expand North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten, previously known as More at Four. It's expected to pay for spaces for up to 63 hundred more children. Earlier this summer, the state Court of Appeals upheld a decision stating that cuts made by state lawmakers would deprive children from benefiting from the program. There are now about 25 thousand low-income kids enrolled, down from about 35 thousand enrolled before state lawmakers made those cuts. The money Governor Perdue is moving to pre-K comes from projected spare funds in the Department of Health and Human Service's budget. Republican leaders in the General Assembly aren't happy about the governor's decision. House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Phil Berger have issued a statement saying the move puts a strain on county budgets.
