The State Board of Education has approved $2.5 million in budget cuts to the Department of Public Instruction. The savings will come from staff cuts and operating expenses. An additional $737,285 will be cut in a few weeks to meet the $3.2 million cut required by the 2017-19…
Traditional public schools saw about 5,000 fewer students walk through their doors for the 2016-17 school year. Charter, private, and home schools, on the other hand, all saw increases in the number of students at their campuses. The state Department of Public Instruction reports…
Brent Woodcox, former co-chair of the short term rental task force, has launched a political action committee, called Share Raleigh, to educate people about the debate over short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs. While short-term rentals are technically illegal in Raleigh, city…
State Treasurer Dale Folwell said Thursday the state pension fund grew over the second quarter of the year as its exposure to risk shrank. Pension fund assets were valued at a record $93.9 billion after all fees and expenses. That is up from $92.2 billion…
UPDATE, July 21, 11:50 a.m. New projections from the Department of Revenue estimate 241,536 more people will fall into the “zero-tax bracket” in 2019, according to a press release issued Friday by House Speaker Tim Moore. This is higher than the Fiscal Research Division’s first prediction. State income tax…
The State Board of Education isn’t finished fighting N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson in court. A three-judge Superior Court panel ruled last week in favor of Johnson, but the board is appealing that decision. In a special session last year, a…
Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed a bill that would change the way local governments issue public notices and referred to the measure as an attack on newspapers. It was Cooper’s eighth veto this year. In his veto message, Cooper, a Democrat, said the Republican-led General Assembly “used the levers of big government to…
State Treasurer Dale Folwell hopes the General Assembly will build on its recent boost in the state’s Rainy Day Fund with a plan to make state pensions and health benefits more solvent. House Bill 651 would reduce tens of billions of dollars in long-term debt by…
A new report ranking states’ fiscal health puts North Carolina 15th nationally, highlighting the Tar Heel State’s strong revenue and solid pension funding. The report, published July 11 by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, measured changes in the state’s financial stability from 2013 to 2015. The state moved up six slots, from 21st…
In September, North Carolinians will know which low-performing elementary schools will be considered for the Innovative School District in 2018 and be turned over to charter school operators. Formerly known as the Achievement School District, the Innovative School District was brought about last year by House Bill 1080, from Rep. Rob Bryan, R-Mecklenburg. It wasn’t until March of this year that the North Carolina…
