The budget, which was approved in the Democrat-dominated Senate by a 33-16 vote, holds positive implications for the UNC system, but some changes are sure to occur in the House.
The Senate budget calls for a 2.4 percent cut to education, a total of about $42 million. That projection is much less than Gov. Mike Easley's original aim of 5 percent, which would have deprived the education budget of a total of $92 million.
But some House lawmakers have already expressed dissatisfaction with the Senate plan, which uses more than $800 million in non-recurring funds to balance the budget.
Some House members have also said the Senate budget proposal cuts too drastically into government programs such as human services.
Rep. Eugene Rogers, D-Martin, co-chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, said he expects the House to alter the budget but to not forget students' needs.
"The House will certainly alter parts of the Senate budget -- as to what specific parts, I'm unsure of," he said. "But we'll be keeping the interests of education in mind throughout this process."
But early indications from the House seem to point to further cuts to the state educational budget.
Jeff Davies, UNC-system vice president for finance, said he expects the House budget proposal to be quite different from the Senate's with regard to education. "Based on what I have been hearing, I would expect the House to propose a significantly different education budget, probably with additional cuts," he said. "However, it is still too early to tell how all this will play out, since (House legislators) have just begun working on it."
The Senate budget approval implemented the tuition increases of 8 percent for in-state students and 12 percent for out-of-state students throughout the UNC system.
