McCrory: Locals should control school funding

by Drew Elliot, Jones and Blount, June 25, 2015.

Gov. Pat McCrory today emphasized local control in remarks about education funding and the budget negotiations with the General Assembly.

McCrory laid out the state Senate plan to reduce class sizes and focus on hiring teachers and contrasted it with the House plan and his own proposal, which both would to keep teacher assistants. But McCrory said he also want to discuss another option – leaving the decision to the schools instead of making the decision in Raleigh.

“Why not let each school make this decision? Each school might have their own different needs,” McCrory said.

The governor suggested that principals could be given the same amount of money as they would have under an “across-the-board” plan, but they would be able to choose what was right for their school.

Since he came into office in 2013, McCrory has often been less willing to decide issues at the state level than has the General Assembly. He attributes his stance on local control issues to his time as mayor of Charlotte.

“I like not having politicians inside the beltline making that decision,” McCrory said of funding teachers versus teacher assistants.