Together NC asks Gov. Perdue to veto budget
130-plus groups say legislature’s budget “would abandon North Carolina’s traditional commitment to education, economic growth and innovation”
RALEIGH (May 31, 2011) – A coalition of more than 130 North Carolina groups today called on Gov. Beverly Perdue to veto the legislature’s proposed budget.
In a letter sent to Gov. Perdue today, the Together NC coalition said that the compromise budget proposal “would abandon North Carolina’s traditional commitment to education, economic growth and innovation in favor of an inflexible and ideological approach to managing our state’s resources.”
Rather than take the General Assembly’s cuts-heavy approach, the groups asked Perdue
to use her veto pen to chart a new way forward.
“We ask that you use your veto power to reject the legislature’s damaging budget and instead, chart an alternative path forward that includes revenue and a strong commitment to all of the public investments in our state,” the letter says.
Though much has been made of the “compromise” proposal which would restore a small about of funding to K-12 education, Together NC leaders say the budget is still a job-killing retreat from truly investing in North Carolina’s future.
“While legislative leaders have reportedly restored some funding to K-12 education, let us be clear: the budget as proposed will still cost thousands of public school personnel their jobs and is far from a laudable and forward-thinking investment in education. Millions of dollars cut from one of our most critical public structures is nothing to stand up for,” says the letter.
The letter is available online at http://togethernc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Letter-to-Gov-Perdue-on-compromise-budget-5-31-11.pdf
Together NC is a collection of more than 130 non-profit organizations, service providers, and professional associations who have come together to promote wise choices for shared prosperity for all North Carolinians. For more information, visit www.togethernc.org
CONTACT: Together NC coordinators: Louisa Warren, (919) 801-0465, louisa@ncjustice.org or Rob Thompson, (919) 649-2449, rob@nccovenant.org.
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