The Raleigh Report

From the Office of Cullie Tarleton

August 18, 2008

Education remains one of the main priorities of government in North Carolina and this year, even as we faced challenges in our economy, the General Assembly continued its strong investment in public schools. As I have reported in previous weekly reports, education is a priority for me. I currently serve on the Education Committee, Education Appropriations Committee and Vice Chair of the Education Committee on Universities.

More than half of the state’s budget is spent on K-12 education, community colleges and public universities. Most of that money – $7.8 billion in this fiscal year – is spent on public schools. Our investment in this area pays off in a number of ways as more students graduate from high school and go to college and beyond. This year, we expanded our investment in a new dropout prevention program and in the states acclaimed More at Four preschool program, created a teacher mentoring program and continued to look for ways to improve technology. I will explain some of these programs in a little more detail below. The list is not comprehensive, but should give you an idea of how we value education.

Thank you as always for your interest in state government and please let me know if I can be of any service. I look forward to continuing to work with you to best serve the people of our district.

Salaries and Bonuses

Teachers in North Carolina received an average pay increase of 3 percent this year. I wish we could have given them and our state employees larger raises, but growth in the state this year was slower than in previous years and we had less money available for raises. The raise was one of the largest raises in the Southeast this fiscal year as other states experience economic slowdowns and followed an average pay increase of 5 percent last year. Starting pay now for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree is now about $31,000 a year and average pay in North Carolina ranks second in the Southeast. This year, we allowed the State Board of Education to spend up to $94 million for teacher bonuses for student performance. Unlike previous years, we capped the amount so that we could ensure there would be money to pay the millions more needed for higher fuel costs.

More at Four

We realize that much of our children’s success in school depends on what they learn before they get to school. For that reason, we continue to invest in preschool programs such as Smart Start and More at Four. This year, the state budget includes $30 million to expand the More at Four program, a high-quality pre-kindergarten program that serves thousands of at-risk children in our state.

Dropout Prevention

While we have made many improvements in our schools, too many of our students still fail to graduate. Last year, the General Assembly created a new dropout prevention grant program that awarded a total of $7 million to more than 60 community-based programs. This year, we expanded the program by putting another $15 million into it. The programs work with dropouts and those at risk of dropping out. The new Joint Legislative Commission on Dropout Prevention and High School Graduation (of which I am a member) will evaluate the programs that receive grants and decide whether expanding or replicating them will improve graduation rates in the state. The commission will also review research on student success, study major middle and high school reform efforts and how they may influence the dropout rate, review the courses required for graduation and determine whether changes should be made and determine which strategies best help students remain in school when they are at risk of being retained. We must do a better job of keeping ALL students in school until graduation.

Technology

The state’s base budget includes $12 million to pay for a plan to provide information technology infrastructure in our schools. We increased that amount by $10 million in an effort to improve schools’ abilities to use up-to-date technology in our classrooms. Over the past two fiscal years, the General Assembly provided $4.5 million for a pilot program that provides laptop computers to all teachers and students in eight high schools.

Mentoring

The legislature increased its investment in teacher mentoring programs this year by $3 million. The money will be used to help establish a flexible program to serve all first and second-year teachers as well as first-year instructional support personnel. Under a plan approved by the State Board of Education, school systems will be allowed to use the money for programs it believes will best serve beginning teachers.

Teacher Leave

The General Assembly budgeted $5 million this year to allow every teacher in the state one free personal leave day. Previously, teachers had to pay to cover the cost of a substitute any time they used a personal leave day. The General Assembly also approved a change in the law that prohibits school systems from charging teachers for personal leave days taken when students are not in school. The estimated statewide savings for teachers is more than $200,000.
Miscellaneous

Notes

I’ve had a number of calls from Boone residents about the poor condition of Hwy 105 from Wilson Drive to the 105 by-pass. DOT tells me work will begin within the month to repair this stretch of 105. I agree with all the callers, it’s badly needed and I thank DOT for scheduling this work.

Cullie Tarleton