The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) survey, Pass House Bill 13 to Save Teachers, Increase Per Pupil Funding to National Average, tells you all you need to know about the push to get the N.C. Senate to pass House Bill 13. Currently, HB 13 is in the Committee On Rules and Operations of the Senate after unanimous passage in the House.
HB 13 is designed to provide districts a cushion on class size mandates for kindergarten through third grade. There is no mention of funding in the bill. Enter the NCAE and their non sequitur: “One way to help is to elevate North Carolina’s per pupil funding to at least the national average.” Ok. But what does increasing North Carolina’s per pupil funding “to at least the national average” have to do with the merits of small class sizes in early grades or the substance of the legislation itself?
Ironically, if the N.C. General Assembly does not pass HB 13 and maintains the status quo, then lawmakers may be forced to add tens of millions of dollars to the education budget to ensure compliance with the mandate.
