PROMOTING WISE CHOICES FOR SHARED PROSPERITY

In June 2011, North Carolina lawmakers approved a state budget in the dead of night that deeply cut a range of public investments. On the Chopping Block is meant to capture the full effect of these budget decisions on the Tar Heel state and its people, from the mountains to the sea. The information collected here and updated regularly—as reported by citizens, newspapers, blogs, and state agencies—offers a localized look at how budget cuts are playing out in each region of North Carolina.

Click on the map below to learn more about the impact of state budget cuts in your community.

• As a direct result of the NC budget, a total of 1,723 K-12 teaching positions have been eliminated across North Carolina, and more than 6,382 school-related jobs have been cut. ^[1]
• The University of North Carolina system has taken an enormous hit. Facing a cut of $414 million for the 2011-2012 school year, UNC system schools have been forced to cut more than 3,000 jobs to cope with the lack of funding. ^[2]
• Schools in the UNC system are also considering across-the-board tuition hikes to deal with the lack of state funds, which will shift the burden from the state down to students and their parents. ^[3]
• State funds for tuition assistance have been dramatically affected by this budget. An estimated 5,500 qualifying students will receive less financial aid in 2011-2012 compared to the previous year. ^[4] According to Steve Brooks, executive director of the North Carolina Education Assistance Authority: “The bottom line is that some students are going to get less financial aid than they got in the past, even though their costs are going to go up.” ^[5]
• Not only are the numbers of teachers, faculty, and staff at North Carolina’s schools and universities decreasing as a result of the budget – so is the quality of education. At public schools across the state, students returned this year to larger class sizes and fewer course offerings ^[6], while funds for textbooks, instructional supplies, buses, staff development ^[7], and services for disabled children were slashed. ^[8]
• An estimated 7,700 fewer children will receive early childhood development services once afforded them by More at Four and Smart Start, while 80% of families who use these services will now be forced to pay out of pocket to keep the programs afloat. ^[9] Education experts acknowledge the short-term savings of the $69.6 million reduction in funding for the 2011-2012 budget, but point to staggering future costs in the form of child care, lost wages for parents who cannot afford child care, criminal justice expenditures, decreased school achievements and consequential decreased career earnings, just to name a few. ^[10]
• Lawmakers chose to cut funding for NC Medicaid by $354 million. The program, designed to give our state’s low-income residents access to affordable medical care, is now eliminating or reducing previously covered services such as eye exams, dental treatment, and physical therapy in order to meet savings targets. ^[11]
• The North Carolina Department of Transportation has cut over 400 jobs as a result of state budget cuts^[12]. The NC Highway Patrol is experiencing a staff shortage of more than 100 troopers across the state and risks running even lower on manpower because training academies have stopped enrollment to cope with the loss of funding. ^[13]
• The NC Board of Elections received a $1 million cut. As a result, 14 positions were eliminated, including 8 technicians assigned to monitor election operations statewide and assist counties with ballots and machinery in preparation for the 2012 contests. “We are looking at a potential train wreck with less money and more complexity in handling the administration of elections,” says Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina. ^[14]
• In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, recovery efforts were hampered in some communities in Eastern North Carolina by overwhelming swarms of mosquitoes. ^[15] In Western North Carolina, residents have complained of an increase in the tick population. ^[16] The NC Public Health Pest Management section of the Department of Environment, charged with tracking ticks and mosquitoes and assisting local communities with controlling pest populations, was eliminated by the NC budget.
• One budget provision prohibits any new environmental laws or regulations that are stronger than minimum federal standards ^[17]. This weakening of the state Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, combined with likely federal cuts to the National Park Service ^[18], means that tourist attractions like the Outer Banks and the Blue Ridge Parkway will not be guaranteed the kind of protection and service that have elevated them to among the nation’s most treasured natural tourist destinations.

These cuts were not inevitable but a choice. By maintaining the temporary tax package, which included the penny sales tax and a surcharge on high-income earners, or looking at reform-minded revenue, lawmakers could have avoided many of these deep and wide-ranging cuts.

Sources:

1. ^[1] Department of Public Instruction – August 31st, 2011 ↩
2. ^[2] Charlotte Observer – September 18th, 2011 ↩
3. ^[3] News & Observer – November 4th, 2011 ↩
4. ^[4] News & Observer – October 9th, 2011 ↩
5. ^[5] WRAL – July 6th, 2011 ↩
6. ^[6] Durham Herald-Sun – June, 2011 ↩
7. ^[7] Chatham Journal – July 12th, 2011 ↩
8. ^[8] WNCT – August 11th, 2011 ↩
9. ^[9] News & Record – June 26th, 2011 ↩
10. ^[10] NC Policy Watch – July 1st, 2011 ↩
11. ^[11] Winston-Salem Journal – August 30th, 2011 ↩
12. ^[12] WRAL – September 12th, 2011 ↩
13. ^[13] Fayetteville Observer – October 5th, 2011 ↩
14. ^[14] Fayetteville Observer – October 3rd, 2011 ↩
15. ^[15] News & Observer – September 23rd, 2011 ↩
16. ^[16] The News Herald – July 25th, 2011 ↩
17. ^[17] Reese News – June 27th, 2011 ↩
18. ^[18] Asheville Citizen-Times – November 11, 2011 ↩