[Durham INC] Gov. Perdue is protecting teachers' positions and salaries -- ask DPS to do the same

[Melissa Rooney]

Gov. Perdue values our teachers and isn't proposing any cuts for them -- in fact, her proposed budget pays them back for the 2008-9 salary budget and finally gives them back an experienced-based step in their salary schedule. See her update below, including:

• Experienced-based step for teacher salary schedule employees to ensure that North Carolina does not fall farther behind our goal to reach the national average. 
• Teachers and state employees are being paid back for the salary reduction taken to balance the FY 2008-09 budget

I hope that the School Board and DPS will follow our governor's lead and find places for cuts OTHER THAN our teachers and our teachers' salaries. Our teachers have carried more than their fair share of the weight of our budget shortfalls to date. Surely there are other places where real fat can be trimmed.

Please write to the school board and ask that they do not cut teachers and that they do not dock any teachers their pay -- Durham teachers are already making too little for all they do for our kids.

And if you have suggestions of other ways the School Board can save $, please provide these concrete suggestions. I'd be interested to hear them as well.

School Board email addresses:
minnie.forte-brown at dpsnc.net;heidi.carter at dpsnc.net;omega.curtis-parker at dpsnc.net;fredrick.davis at dpsnc.net;kirsten.kainz at dpsnc.net;stephen.martin at dpsnc.net;leigh.bordley at dpsnc.net;hank.hurd at dpsnc.net

Thanks!
Melissa (Rooney)



----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Office of the Governor <governor.office at nc.gov>
To: "gov.perdue at lists.nc.gov" <gov.perdue at lists.nc.gov>
Sent: Tue, April 20, 2010 10:04:34 AM
Subject: [Office of Governor Bev Perdue] Governor Releases FY 10-11 Budget


 
 
 
Dear Friend,
This morning I released my recommended budget for the next fiscal year.  As you know the next few years will be challenging, even though North Carolina’s economy is on the road to recovery.  
My proposed budget prepares North Carolina to take off as the economy improves by recommending strategic investments in creating jobs, ensuring every student graduates high school prepared for success, setting government straight and building safer and healthier communities.
Here are a few of the highlights: 
• $86 million for several key investments in assistance to small businesses and infrastructure that will help create 35,000 jobs over the next three years.
• $39 million for hand-held technology in grades k-3 and grade 5, so children can get individualized attention before they fall behind in school.
• Experienced-based step for teacher salary schedule employees to ensure that North Carolina does not fall farther behind our goal to reach the national average.  
• Teachers and state employees are being paid back for the salary reduction taken to balance the FY 2008-09 budget.  
• An initiative to crack down on Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse, which is estimated to save more than $35 million in 2010-11.
• $8.5 million to provide health insurance to an additional 8,100 children in working families.
• $10 million to merge all criminal records into one interactive and comprehensive system.
These investments will bolster our state’s recovery and help ensure North Carolina emerges from this recession as the best place in the world to live and work. 
But the reality is we had to make tough choices in this budget. We’ve recommended cutting almost $1 billion in spending and more than 600 positions.  That equates to a total of more than 15 percent in spending cuts since I’ve taken office.  Our budget reduces or eliminates more than 70 programs that are unnecessary or inefficient, saving taxpayers $190 million. And it reserves $100 million to replenish the state’s rainy day fund. 
Click here to read more and to download the complete budget recommendations.
I hope that we can work together to support these key investments in North Carolina’s future.
Sincerely,

    Governor Bev Perdue
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