Richard Stevens, a member of the UNC Board of Trustees and former board chairman, has filed for election to the state legislature. Stevens, who filed as a candidate for N.C. Senate District 17 in Wake County last Friday, is also the former Wake County manager.
UNC-system administrators and legislators say that a change to how university enrollment is funded will not occur this session but that the policy change will remain a top priority for legislators in the future. Funding for enrollment growth is allocated through the state's expansion budget, which serves mostly to provide revenue for items not funded in previous years.
As the N.C. House of Representatives concludes its second week of working on a state budget, legislative leaders say that several options have emerged to raise additional revenue but that it is doubtful if any have the votes to pass the closely divided chamber. The state Senate passed a budget on June 20, and some House budget leaders have set a mid-July target for the House to unveil its version of the budget. Once the House approves a budget, leaders from the two chambers must compromise on one plan.
The state budget approved by the N.C. Senate on June 19 is set to head to the House in efforts to secure a solution to the state's $1.5 billion budget shortfall. 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.
Since 1997, Orange County has been represented by the same two people in the N.C. Senate. But all of this is set change as North Carolina's state redistricting plan will almost certainly force the pair -- Sens. Howard Lee and Ellie Kinnaird, both D-Orange -- to run against each other for the right to represent Orange County in the state Senate.
Legislators and mayors from across the state are lobbying the N.C. General Assembly to pass legislation that would prevent Gov.
Gov. Mike Easley's proposal for a state lottery, which will fund enrollment growth throughout the UNC system, has drawn criticism from several members of the system Board of Governors. The governor's proposal, which was included in the budget that he submitted to the N.C. General Assembly last week, called for a statewide lottery to provide $66 million in enrollment growth funding for the UNC system. All told, Easley expects the lottery to provide about $250 million in revenue for the state during the next fiscal year.
Public universities and community colleges throughout North Carolina are operating under a hiring freeze due to an executive order issued by Gov. Mike Easley earlier this month. The hiring freeze comes as a result of the state's ongoing budget crisis. The state is predicted to incur about $1.5 billion budget shortfall for the current fiscal year.
