Senate Unveils Budget Featuring $600 Million Boost For Education

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,

Published May 11, 2017 at 12:46 PM EDT

The North Carolina Senate released their$22.9 billion spending plan earlier this week. The budget has significant implications for the state’s education system. It shifts how teacher raises are allocated and proposes a $600 million increase in education spending. WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff Tiberii and WUNC education reporter Jess Clark talks about the proposed North Carolina Senate budget.

The budget also sets aside $150 million for victims of Hurricane Matthew. The storm devastated areas in central and eastern North Carolina last fall. Host FrankStasiospeaks withWUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff TiberiiandWUNC education reporter Jess Clarkabout the proposed budget.

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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