Agenda - 03-23-2015 - Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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39 PE -3: Support legislation to fully fund state - mandated edu- cation programs from state revenue sources. • State law stipulates that counties are responsible for build- ing, equipping and maintaining public school facilities and the state is responsible for funding salaries and school op- erations from state revenues. • Counties supplement state funding for school operating ex- penses, and that amount continues to grow. During FY 2011- 12, counties spent more than $2.5 billion to augment state school operating dollars, leaving only $700 million for main- tenance and construction. PE -4: Seek legislation to repeal the statutory authority un- der NC G.S. 115C- 431(c) that allows local school boards to file suit against a county board of commissioners over coun- ty appropriations for education. • G.S. 115C- 431(c) expressly authorizes school boards to sue counties over "sufficiency" of current expense or capital funding levels, leaving courts to determine sufficiency. • School boards are not expressly permitted to sue the state or federal governments for lack of sufficient funding, and no other entity is specifically granted this power to sue a taxing authority over funding sufficiency. • This statutory authorization creates an adversarial relation- ship between the school boards and the boards of county commissioners and has cost taxpayers hundreds of thou- sands of dollars in legal fees and litigation expenses.