Perdue tells school boards what we've been telling them for two years | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Mark Binker, reporting in the Greensboro News & Record says that Governor Perdue told school board members assembled at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro this week that they need to be preparing for budget cuts next year. The state is faced with a $3 billion plus budget deficit and many newly elected legislators have been elected on a "no new taxes" pledge.

    Not only does the state face revenue shortfalls due to recent deficit spending but it is also highly likely that Federal "Stabilization (Stimulus) Funds" the schools have been depending on the last two years will come to an end next year.

    On top of all that Beaufort County is about out of money, and facing a crisis with its hospital. The 5 member liberal voting block on the County Commission has been spending more than it has taken in over the last few years and has thus depleted its savings account. Even this year the county had to appeal to taxpayers to hurry up and pay their taxes so it would not face a cash flow crisis.

    Meanwhile, as we have been consistently reporting for two years now, the School Board has been spending like money grows on trees. It has exhausted nearly all of its capital outlay funds on projects that could have been postponed and those funds shifted to current expense to help meet the cuts Perdue is now warning them will be a sure thing.

    It's going to be a long hot summer with the budget.

    Delma Blinson writes the "Teacher's Desk" column for our friend in the local publishing business: The Beaufort Observer. His concentration is in the area of his expertise - the education of our youth. He is a former teacher, principal, superintendent and university professor.