This Is What Soucek & Jordan Accomplished

The Real Impacts of the Republican Budget Passed in the NC General Assembly (hattip: Sen. Josh Stein and BlueNC)

To Education:

K-12
· Fails to repair the damage last year’s budget did to schools, which resulted in 6,000 cut K-12 positions, including 3,000 teachers and teacher assistants.

· Cuts an additional $190 million, which represents an additional 3,400 teachers, at the same time student enrollment is increasing.

· Brings the two-year cut for K-12 to nearly $650 million.

· Eliminates funding for programs with proven success, such as the Teaching Fellows, Teacher Cadet Programs, Tarheel Challenge, and Communities in Schools.

· Cuts funding for textbooks, technology in the classroom, PTAs and counselors for children in military families.

Higher Education
· Imposes the largest cuts in the history of the state to the UNC system, totaling $414 million.

· Reduces access to higher education for middle class students by reducing need-based financial aid funding $22 million for the UNC system.

· Imposes the largest cuts in the history of the state to the community college system.

· Closes the door to community college for some students by increasing tuition by 23% and restricting access to low cost federal loans.

Early Childhood
· Walks away from state’s commitment to educate our young children so they are ready to learn when they start elementary school by slashing early childhood education by 20%.

To Healthcare:

· Singles out and defunds Planned Parenthood, which provides critical health services for women, such as cancer screenings and family planning.

· Fails to reverse cuts to programs for victims of rape and domestic violence enacted in 2011.

· Cuts mental health services by $20 million.

· Eliminates drug treatment court services.

To Transportation:
· Eliminates public transportation funds for the state with the exception of the Charlotte Rail System.

· Cuts maintenance funding for primary and secondary roads by $60 million.

Other:

· Continues the tax break for equity partners in law firms, doctors’ offices and financial firms from last year’s budget, even for those earning millions, while further cutting our schools.

· Eliminates the money to compensate victims of forced sterilization from the House budget.

· Cuts State Board of Elections budget by $120,000 and sets aside no money to leverage the Help America Vote Act federal grant to help our elections run more efficiently this November.

· Cuts the Clean Water Management Trust Fund by 90%.