Education Briefings for Candidates for Office In 2008 Context of Education

Education Briefings for General Assembly Candidates Introductory Session  A Quick Look at “Just the Facts”  Who/What Governs Schools in NC?

School Districts Employees114,190187,463 Students1.08 million1.46 million State K-12 budget$2.29 billion$7.91 billion Per-Pupil Spending*$3,118$4,684 % of State Budget45.5%37.3% Just the Facts... * Includes only state General Fund contributions

Just the Facts... #1: Schools in NC Are Essentially State-Run (“He who pays the piper…”) 65 % State Funding Ü State Pay Schedules Ü State Curriculum Ü State Testing Ü State Assistance Teams (“Turn around”)

#2: Only 3 School Systems Have Taxing Authority (Chatham, Lee, Vance) Just the Facts... #3: School Systems Are Few in Number Hawaii1 NORTH CAROLINA115 (ranks 38 th highest) US Average278 Texas1,035

#4 : Consolidation & Size of School Districts US Average= 5,887 students NC Average= 12,442 students #5 : NO Collective Bargaining #6 : Growing Diversity NC Hispanic population 428%  in past decade 170 languages are spoken in NC schools Just the Facts...

#7: Population Growth Swelling (Selected Areas) North Carolina’s school-aged population: 6 th fastest growing Increased by 279,000 children over the past decade; 20,700 MORE estimated for next year 20002008: 18 Counties: 50% of the Growth Lost 11 Counties: Lost population: Anson BertieCaswell Edgecombe Halifax HydeLenoir Martin Northampton WarrenWashington Just the Facts...

#8: Private/Non-public population is just 10% of enrollment for all schools Just the Facts Conventional Non-Public89,7896.5%94,7856.0% Home Schools33,8602.4%68,7074.3% Total Non-Public123,6498.9%163, % Regular Public1,253, %1,394, % Charter Schools14,8091.1%28,8831.8% Total Public1,268, %1,423, % Grand Total Enrolled in All Schools 1,391,9651,587,275

#9: Cost to Raise Salaries 1%  Teachers & Instructional Support =$40.1 m  ALL School Personnel=$54.1 m  ALL state employees=$100 m # 10 : Personnel…Major Portion of the Budget  90.6%=benefits & salaries  4.4%=transportation  4.4%=supplies  0.4%=school technology  0.1%=staff development Just the Facts...

A Key Question for Our Discussion Today Is... “Who Runs Schools In North Carolina?” More to the Point... “What Impact Can I Make If Elected?”

School Governance The Office of the Governor (bully pulpit, budget proposals & veto) State Board of EducationGeneral Assembly (budget recommendations; responsible for (power of purse strings rules and regulations, curriculum & testing) & frequently pass educational policies) Local Boards of Education (hire superintendent, propose local education budgets, determine attendance lines, can initiate major changes like year-round schooling or magnet schools or after school programs, determine resource allocations to schools, set local personnel policies, establish goals for system) County Commissioners (power of purse strings; approve/deny school board budget requests; set bond referendums, rarely, but can weigh in on instructional/policy issues)

Because NC Is Centralized... New Initiatives like More at Four or Smart Start Can Result in Measurable Performance Gains; However, Short Lived or Misguided Initiatives like Career Ladders or Outcome Based Education Can Create Frustration and Erode Morale.

Because NC Is Centralized... Politically Popular Educational Initiatives are Often at Odds With Research on What Works There is a Real Temptation to Micro Manage the Schools Local Control versus State Control Is a Never-Ending Tension

Leadership on Educational Issues Shifts Between the Governor, the State Board of Education & the General Assembly Smart Start – Governor Hunt More at Four – Governor Easley High Schools – Governor Easley ABC’s System – State Board of Education SB 2 (1 st accountability) – General Assembly Funding for Poor/Small Systems –General Assembly School Calendar Bill – General Assembly Dropout Prevention Initiative – General Assembly Collaborative Project – General Assembly

John Dornan