Senate Budget Proposal is All Talk, No Action

RALEIGH, N.C., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Today's Senate budget proposal doesn't fulfill the much-touted promises of protecting public education, reducing class sizes or improving teacher quality," said NCAE Vice President Rodney Ellis. "In fact, it will have the opposite effect in all of those areas.  The plan Senate leaders have put on the table offers false promises to distract the public from a billion dollars in layoffs and cuts. The fact remains that every public school in the state will see layoffs in this budget proposal."

The facts about the Senate Budget proposal:

• Cuts 1.1 billion dollars from K-12 public education budget
• Pushes North Carolina to dead last in the nation for per pupil expenditure
• Offers false claims to reduce class sizes in grades K-3
• Slashes at least 20,000 educators jobs across the state
• Puts thousands of teacher assistants on the unemployment rolls
• Stagnates teacher pay at 45th in the nation
• Guts teacher quality efforts by eliminating professional development opportunities

"What's really shameful is this misleading claim about reducing class sizes," Ellis said. "In reality, the Senate's budget proposal cuts at least 20,000 jobs while making the misleading promise to hire 1,100 new teachers. It sets a goal of reducing class sizes without any real requirements or commitment to do so."

NCAE is the state's largest education association, representing nearly 60,000 active, retired and student members.

SOURCE North Carolina Association of Educators