Gov. Bev Perdue today instructed the state agency in charge of North Carolina’s pre-kindergarten program to preserve the high standards, quality and accessibility of this crucial academic program for at-risk children.
The General Assembly’s budget made significant changes to NC Pre-K (formerly known as More at Four). Changes include a 20 percent cut in funding that reduces the availability of the program to at-risk children, and the transfer of the program from the Department of Public Instruction to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Thereafter, a North Carolina Superior Court judge issued a decision declaring some of the General Assembly’s changes inconsistent with the constitutional right of North Carolina’s children to obtain a sound basic education. In particular, the judge declared that North Carolina shall not deny any eligible at-risk four year old admission to NC Pre-K, and shall provide the quality services of NC Pre-K to any eligible at-risk four year old that applies.
Governor Perdue today signed an executive order directing DHHS to maintain and strengthen the program’s high academic standards and eliminate all admission barriers to at-risk preschool children. The order also requires DHHS to work closely with North Carolina’s education agencies during the transfer process in order to ensure and preserve NC Pre-K’s quality and academic integrity.
“It is absolutely essential that this program remain an academic Pre-K program,” said Gov. Perdue. “Data has proven that at-risk children who complete a year of academic preschool education show accelerated learning in language, math, social awareness and other skills – skills that persist through third grade. These children are far more likely to succeed in a career or college down the road.”
Consistent with the judge’s order, the Governor’s order also directs DHHS to provide services to all at-risk applicants. “If the funds that the General Assembly has provided are insufficient to cover the constitutional mandate for these services, I will call upon the legislature to appropriate additional funds to meet our obligation,” said Gov. Perdue. “However, if additional funds become necessary for NC Pre-K, the General Assembly must not inflict further cuts on other educational programs.”
“I will continue to fight to make sure our children have access to the quality education system that our Constitution guarantees,” she said. “It’s a system that educators, advocates and legislators have worked hard to build for decades; it’s the heart and soul of North Carolina.”
I understand the need for government to scale back services in these sad economic time, thus the cuts to pre-kindergarten programs like More at Four. But the change from DPI to DHHS is an example of the problem of the ‘new legislaures’ ideology, not an issue of saving money. DPI would maintain a program of high quality standards and academic integrity, while DHH through the Division of Child Development would only be a vehicle for monitoring and accreditation. The same with moving environmental overview to the Ag Dept. Dumbing down the very programs NC needs for quality preschool, and letting regulations go that protect our environment.
While we’re at it, lets work on the voter fraud in NC (oops, there really isnt any), which by the way, was going to cost NC more money, but guaranteed to surpress voter turnout.
BTW, you don’t save money by giving your staff raises of 29% ( Tillis, House Speaker)
Mingo, voter ID only attempts to supress fraud, not voters, as some are claiming.
Why should we not want the voter system to have integrity?…
Seems to me that those who are protesting against voter ID, may be the ones who want to supress the vote.
guess you didn’t see my post in the weekend open line:
Voter Fraud in Wake County:
http://dailycaller.com/2011/08/11/three-north-carolina-democrats-admit-voting-twice-for-obama/
http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/9984810/
I feel certain these are not the only cases.
Some people need more accountability in their lives and some do not. I always carry my state issued identification with me to the polls. With all the other things we have to show our I.D. personally I would not mind showing it at the polls. Some may disagree. But there is a time to tackle issues like this and others (like how gas stations display the price of gas) and now may not be the time.
Get some jobs here so folks can pay for the ever rising cost of obtaining an I.D. Card.
The allegations are that the four voted twice under their own names. As Laura Leslie with WRAL pointed out, the voter ID law would have not have prevented that. The voter ID law is supposed to prevent people voting in other people’s names, an exceedingly rare occurrence in North Carolina elections.