Legislature
Cuts Instructional Funds
Fred
Beyer
fbeyer@nc.rr.com
(Download printer-friendly pdf version)
Legislature
Cuts Instructional Funds
While our representatives and senators bragged about being good to the
schools in a time of fiscal crisis they quietly cut the financial rug
from under classroom teachers. During the last session of the legislature
our representatives cut 44 million dollars from discretionary funds
allocated to each school system in our state. The cut was based on Average
Daily Membership (ADM) and kept a carefully guarded secret. As a result,
this may be the first time you have heard anything about the reason
your instructional supply funds been cut or eliminated all together.
Discretionary funds may be used any way a school system thinks will be of the most benefit to students. In most systems at least some portion of the funds provide instructional supplies. For those of us working in science that means the money to purchase chemicals, prepared slides, dissection specimens and, if we are lucky, some balances, microscopes or other equipment. So, in a time when the congress has mandated science testing and the proposed Standard Course-of-Study requires more student engaged learning in the form of inquiry based lab investigations, our legislators have eliminated the money we need to equip and support the instruction our students must have to do well on the new tests.
If you feel science is being short changed, why not write your legislators, your state and local board of education members, and your local newspaper editor. Ask them why no one has heard about this cut. Ask them how science teachers are supposed to meet the new curriculum standards without equipment and materials for students to use for inquiry based activities. Ask them what kind of message this cut sends to the citizens of your community, county and state about the importance of quality science education.
Before you write look at the list of cuts below. The list will give you a better understanding of the damage done, particularly in small and low wealth school systems. You can use the following two links to secure the names and addresses of your legislators [http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/NCGAInfo/Directories/emailinfo.html] and to locate the name and address of your local newspaper's editor [http://newsdirectory.com/news/press/na/us/nc/]. Remember to write a well organized letter. Tell your representatives how the cuts are affecting your classroom. Be firm, but reasonable, make sure they know that the science program is the only program being tested where a lack of equipment will make it difficult if not impossible to do your job and how frustrating that is for you and your fellow science teachers.
If we don't speak
up, no one will speak for us. It is up to all the science teachers in
North Carolina to demand the resources we need to educate our students
in a safe and effective manner. Ask that funds be designated for instructional
supplies and equipment so that every school in our state will someday
have the resources to provide an effective inquiry based science experience
for every student.
LEA
No. |
LEA
Name |
ADM |
Discretionary
Reduction |
010 |
Alamance County | 21,551 | $ (710,840) |
020 |
Alexander County | 5,535 | (182,567) |
030 |
Alleghany County | 1,483 | (48,915) |
040 |
Anson County | 4,460 | (147,109) |
050 |
Ashe County | 3,207 | (105,780) |
060 |
Avery County | 2,399 | (79,129) |
070 |
Beaufort County | 7,276 | (239,992) |
080 |
Bertie County | 3,488 | (115,049) |
090 |
Bladen County | 5,682 | (187,416) |
100 |
Brunswick County | 10,691 | (352,633) |
110 |
Buncombe County | 24,624 | (812,200) |
111 |
Asheville City | 3,928 | (129,562) |
120 |
Burke County | 14,681 | (484,240) |
130 |
Cabarrus County | 21,765 | (717,899) |
132 |
Kannapolis City | 4,448 | (146,713) |
140 |
Caldwell County | 12,795 | (422,032) |
150 |
Camden County | 1,459 | (48,124) |
160 |
Carteret County | 8,144 | (268,622) |
170 |
Caswell County | 3,483 | (114,884) |
180 |
Catawba County | 16,734 | (551,956) |
181 |
Hickory City | 4,401 | (145,163) |
182 |
Newton-Conover | 2,849 | (93,972) |
190 |
Chatham County | 7,405 | (244,247) |
200 |
Cherokee County | 3,678 | (121,316) |
210 |
Edenton/Chowan | 2,512 | (82,856) |
220 |
Clay County | 1,248 | (41,164) |
230 |
Cleveland County | 9,667 | (318,857) |
231 |
Kings Mountain | 4,738 | (156,279) |
232 |
Shelby City | 3,199 | (105,516) |
240 |
Columbus County | 7,059 | (232,835) |
241 |
Whiteville City | 2,712 | (89,453) |
250 |
Craven County | 14,480 | (477,610) |
260 |
Cumberland County | 52,329 | (1,726,025) |
270 |
Currituck County | 3,514 | (115,906) |
280 |
Dare County | 4,725 | (155,850) |
290 |
Davidson County | 19,292 | (636,329) |
291 |
Lexington City | 3,235 | (106,704) |
292 |
Thomasville City | 2,545 | (83,945) |
300 |
Davie County | 6,073 | (200,312) |
310 |
Duplin County | 8,836 | (291,447) |
320 |
Durham County | 30,639 | (1,010,600) |
330 |
Edgecombe County | 7,630 | (251,669) |
340 |
Forsyth County | 47,346 | (1,561,665) |
350 |
Franklin County | 7,961 | (262,586) |
360 |
Gaston County | 30,671 | (1,011,655) |
370 |
Gates County | 2,004 | (66,100) |
380 |
Graham County | 1,174 | (38,723) |
390 |
Granville County | 8,742 | (288,347) |
400 |
Greene County | 3,325 | (109,672) |
410 |
Guilford County | 65,407 | (2,157,391) |
420 |
Halifax County | 5,642 | (186,096) |
421 |
Roanoke Rapids City | 3,091 | (101,954) |
422 |
Weldon City | 1,074 | (35,425) |
430 |
Harnett County | 16,696 | (550,703) |
440 |
Haywood County | 7,845 | (258,760) |
450 |
Henderson County | 12,047 | (397,359) |
460 |
Hertford County | 3,799 | (125,307) |
470 |
Hoke County | 6,433 | (212,187) |
480 |
Hyde County | 681 | (22,462) |
490 |
Iredell-Statesville | 19,131 | (631,019) |
491 |
Mooresville City | 4,285 | (141,337) |
500 |
Jackson County | 3,673 | (121,151) |
510 |
Johnston County | 24,766 | (816,884) |
520 |
Jones County | 1,437 | (47,398) |
530 |
Lee County | 9,024 | (297,649) |
540 |
Lenoir County | 10,138 | (334,393) |
550 |
Lincoln County | 11,146 | (367,641) |
560 |
Macon County | 4,153 | (136,983) |
570 |
Madison County | 2,594 | (85,561) |
580 |
Martin County | 4,544 | (149,880) |
590 |
Mcdowell County | 6,582 | (217,101) |
600 |
Mecklenburg County | 112,656 | (3,715,857) |
610 |
Mitchell County | 2,359 | (77,809) |
620 |
Montgomery County | 4,451 | (146,812) |
630 |
Moore County | 11,650 | (384,265) |
640 |
Nash-Rocky Mount | 18,061 | (595,726) |
650 |
New Hanover County | 21,922 | (723,077) |
660 |
Northampton County | 3,380 | (111,486) |
670 |
Onslow County | 21,806 | (719,251) |
680 |
Orange County | 6,498 | (214,331) |
681 |
Chapel Hill-Carrboro | 10,649 | (351,248) |
690 |
Pamlico County | 1,743 | (57,491) |
700 |
Pasquotank County | 5,928 | (195,530) |
710 |
Pender County | 6,897 | (227,491) |
720 |
Perquimans County | 1,714 | (56,535) |
730 |
Person County | 5,841 | (192,660) |
740 |
Pitt County | 21,003 | (692,765) |
750 |
Polk County | 2,377 | (78,403) |
760 |
Randolph County | 18,431 | (607,930) |
761 |
Asheboro City | 4,418 | (145,724) |
770 |
Richmond County | 8,398 | (277,000) |
780 |
Robeson County | 24,012 | (792,014) |
790 |
Rockingham County | 14,697 | (484,767) |
800 |
Rowan-Salisbury | 20,884 | (688,840) |
810 |
Rutherford County | 9,967 | (328,753) |
820 |
Sampson County | 8,105 | (267,336) |
821 |
Clinton City | 2,739 | (90,343) |
830 |
Scotland County | 6,854 | (226,073) |
840 |
Stanly County | 9,961 | (328,555) |
850 |
Stokes County | 7,500 | (247,381) |
860 |
Surry County | 8,545 | (281,849) |
861 |
Elkin City | 1,157 | (38,163) |
862 |
Mount Airy City | 1,900 | (62,670) |
870 |
Swain County | 1,752 | (57,788) |
880 |
Transylvania County | 3,792 | (125,076) |
890 |
Tyrrell County | 691 | (22,792) |
900 |
Union County | 26,794 | (883,776) |
910 |
Vance County | 8,260 | (272,449) |
920 |
Wake County | 107,302 | (3,539,260) |
930 |
Warren County | 3,202 | (105,615) |
940 |
Washington County | 2,221 | (73,258) |
950 |
Watauga County | 4,727 | (155,916) |
960 |
Wayne County | 19,049 | (628,314) |
970 |
Wilkes County | 10,147 | (334,690) |
980 |
Wilson County | 12,283 | (405,144) |
990 |
Yadkin County | 5,957 | (196,486) |
995 |
Yancey County | 2,513 | (82,889) |
| LEA Total | 1,321,203 | (43,578,694) | |
| Charter Schools | 21,603 | (712,554) | |
| Total Including Charters | 1,342,806 | $ (44,291,248) |
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PO Box 1783, Salisbury, NC 28145
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