Bev's Balance the Budget Challenge

shawn

shawn

running dog lackey of the oppressor class
Administrator
Joined
Mar 13, 2005
Location
Raleigh, NC
http://www.governor.state.nc.us/budgetapp/

Bev put the state budget up on her website to give the rest of us the opportunity to try and balance it ourselves.

I lowered the NC Corp tax rate to the lowest in the Southeast and still had a $80M surplus.

If I mess around with the school funding a bit more, I can completely eliminate the NC Corp tax and still end up with a small surplus.
 
I finished with a 59.2MM surplus. I was a little more aggressive on job cuts than I would have liked, but I wanted to see where it got me.


Edit...just did it again...and the monetary cuts I made and was comfortable with brought me to a surplus of $43.2MM, however, it led to 21,697 job cuts.

The break down:

How your proposed budget impacts North Carolina
Education Budget Cuts:$1,558,200,000Jobs Cut:15,732
Social Services Budget Cuts:$105,000,000Jobs Cut:0
Public Safety Budget Cuts:$162,000,000Jobs Cut:571
General Government Budget Cuts:$345,000,000Jobs Cut:4,500
Other Budget Cuts:$248,000,000Jobs Cut:894



I'm also not a big believer in always cutting costs to meet a budget. I realize this was just an exercise, but I think a little more info on the forecast of monies spent would be beneficial, or the expansion of the cuts.
 
I got a surplus of $774,500,000. Wasn't that hard to do...why can't they?

Do I get a 10% consulting fee?
 
^^^It's still politics, they piss too many people off by cutting programs near and dear to their hearts, and the politicians don't get re-elected.
 
UTfball68 said:
I finished with a 59.2MM surplus. I was a little more aggressive on job cuts than I would have liked, but I wanted to see where it got me.
Edit...just did it again...and the monetary cuts I made and was comfortable with brought me to a surplus of $43.2MM, however, it led to 21,697 job cuts.
The break down:
How your proposed budget impacts North Carolina
Education Budget Cuts:$1,558,200,000Jobs Cut:15,732
Social Services Budget Cuts:$105,000,000Jobs Cut:0
Public Safety Budget Cuts:$162,000,000Jobs Cut:571
General Government Budget Cuts:$345,000,000Jobs Cut:4,500
Other Budget Cuts:$248,000,000Jobs Cut:894
I'm also not a big believer in always cutting costs to meet a budget. I realize this was just an exercise, but I think a little more info on the forecast of monies spent would be beneficial, or the expansion of the cuts.
Click to expand...

Wow - 15k jobs cut from education? What're you planning, everybody home school now? lol.
 
Actually...that was a result of adding 3 more children to every class at every level, that was all I touched at the K-12 level, the rest was at the community college and university level.
 
Yeah, I did pretty much the same thing. It said I put 22k people out of work, but I suspect that repealing the corp tax would more than make up for it. There's obviously no money to pay these people, regardless.

The 800# gorilla is Medicare and Medicaid spending. But the Feds essentially force the states to pick up the shortfall. That's a big part of why there's a $4B deficit.
 
UTfball68 said:
Actually...that was a result of adding 3 more children to every class at every level, that was all I touched at the K-12 level, the rest was at the community college and university level.
Click to expand...
saf-t scissors said:
Yeah, I did pretty much the same thing. It said I put 22k people out of work, but I suspect that repealing the corp tax would more than make up for it. There's obviously no money to pay these people, regardless.
Click to expand...

I don't want to take this O/T or get into a big debbate - but I'm guessing neither of you guys have been in or related to the teacher of an overcrowded classroom?
There is already a big disparity in many cases between what is the offical "max" and how many kids are really there. When Rachael taught in NC she routinely had 35 kids.
It becomes a serious hinderence to actually helping any 1 kid or specializing/tailoring teaching for kids' actual aptitude, not to mention simple crowd control. You get 35 12 y/o kids in one place and it becomes a hormone zoo really fast. Everybody suffers b/c teaching is forced to the lowest denominator, which will be lower than occurs in a smaller group.

The 800# gorilla is Medicare and Medicaid spending. But the Feds essentially force the states to pick up the shortfall. That's a big part of why there's a $4B deficit.
Click to expand...
Exactly! Trickle-down economics, lol.

maulcruiser said:
I didn't cut any jobs, cut $238 million, gained a $38 million surplus, and will have $2.2 billion in new money next year.
Click to expand...

Post up the plan!
 
RatLabGuy said:
I don't want to take this O/T or get into a big debbate - but I'm guessing neither of you guys have been in or related to the teacher of an overcrowded classroom?
There is already a big disparity in many cases between what is the offical "max" and how many kids are really there. When Rachael taught in NC she routinely had 35 kids.
Click to expand...


Actually, my girlfriend was a kindergarten teacher for CMS for 3 years. Her average class size was 24 5 year olds. She left there, and is teaching at a private school in Concord with 15 5 year olds. I really think alot depends on the quality of teacher...I've seen and known teachers that can't handle 10 kids, and I had an honors alg II class in high school, that had 50 kids in it (due to a teacher's death, they formed one class outta 3), and the class ran flawlessly, and I don't think it woulda mattered had it been 500 students. Couple that with the behavioral background of the children involved. And I believe there should be a zero tolerance policy when it comes to behavior, if the kid is too rowdy give him the boot...and make failing count for something again...sink or swim. But as you said, let's not debate.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Post up the plan!
Click to expand...

Ok...

I raised community college and university tuition by $10 per hour.

Reduced SmartStart services by 10%.

Reduced child care subsidies.

Reorganized government by consolidating agencies and programs...blah blah blah.

Regulate video lottery terminals.

Keep one cent sales tax. (If it's already in place, you don't even notice it really.)

Increase tobacco tax to $1 per carton. (And that's coming from a smoker.)




I don't know if it would work, but it's all plausible.
 
RatLabGuy said:
I don't want to take this O/T or get into a big debbate - but I'm guessing neither of you guys have been in or related to the teacher of an overcrowded classroom?
There is already a big disparity in many cases between what is the offical "max" and how many kids are really there. When Rachael taught in NC she routinely had 35 kids.
It becomes a serious hinderence to actually helping any 1 kid or specializing/tailoring teaching for kids' actual aptitude, not to mention simple crowd control. You get 35 12 y/o kids in one place and it becomes a hormone zoo really fast. Everybody suffers b/c teaching is forced to the lowest denominator, which will be lower than occurs in a smaller group.
Click to expand...


:rolleyes:

You typed an awful lot of words for a guy that missed the fawking point.

You can balance it pretty easily without messing with K-12... but it still says you killed 20k jobs.
 
I forgot to keep track of how many jobs this cut exactly, but I believe it was less than 8k jobs:

Surplus: $441,000,000
Cuts: $1,326,000,000
New Money: $2,600,000,000

Education

* Provide a 3 percent raise for teachers
* Give students who meet certain academic requirements a $2,000 scholarship for college

Social Services

* Reduce rehabilitative services to most severe cases
* Reduce occupational, speech and audiologic services to most severe cases
* Eliminate school nurses in public schools
* Reduce community mental health funds by 50 percent
* Reduce child care subsidies by 50 percent

Public Safety

* Reduce court system budget (judges, clerks, prosecutors) by 10 percent
* Release 4,000 prisoners (10 percent of population)
* Eliminate prisoner alcohol and substance abuse services

General Government

* Eliminate state funding for libraries
* Lay off three percent of state employees
* Reduce state employee pay by 1 percent

JobsNOW

* Eliminate funding for economic development non-profit organizations
* Attract new jobs by eliminating the corporate income tax

Other

* Reorganize government by consolidating agencies and programs; privatizing functions; and reducing layers of middle management
* Flex reduction of 20 percent for all non education, human service and public safety agencies
* Implement early retirement incentive program for teachers and state employees
* Begin charging active employees and retirees a $20 monthly fee for health insurance

Money

* Sell ABC System to private vendors (one time revenue)
* Regulate video lottery terminals
* Keep one cent sales tax
* Increase the tobacco tax to $1 per carton
 
Surplus: $1,250,000,000
Cuts: $2,143,000,000
New Money: $2,100,000,000

Provide a 3 percent raise for teachers
Give students who meet certain academic requirements a $2,000 scholarship for college
Increase all K-12 classes by three students
Reduce Low Wealth Funds for Poor Counties by 50 percent
Raise tuition by $30 per hour/$960 per year
Increase class size by three students
Raise tuition by 30 per hour/$900 per year
Social Services

Realize savings from current initiatives to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse
Eliminate school nurses in public schools
Reduce child care subsidies by 50 percent
Eliminate transplant services
Reduce Smart Start services for children by 25 percent
Public Safety

Eliminate adult and juvenile crime prevention funds
Eliminate prisoner alcohol and substance abuse services
Release 2,000 prisoners (5 percent of population)
General Government

Reduce state employee pay by 1 percent
Lay off three percent state employees
JobsNOW

Eliminate funding for economic development non-profit organizations
Cut corporate income tax to make it lowest in the southeast
Increase funding for marketing NC products and businesses overseas
Other

Reorganize government by consolidating agencies and programs; privatizing functions; and reducing layers of middle management
Implement early retirement incentive program for teachers and state employees
Begin charging active employees and retirees a $20 monthly fee for health insurance
Flex reduction of 20 percent for all non education, human service and public safety agencies
Money

Sell ABC System to private vendors (one time revenue)
Regulate video lottery terminals
Keep one cent sales tax
 
# Surplus: $909,800,000 [?]
# Cuts: $3,209,800,000 [?]
# New Money: $1,100,000,000 [?]
Cut taxes and cut expenses.
Eliminate industry and product specific taxes or tax breaks. Keep it simple. Treat all legal businesses and products the same.
Sell ABC and all other non-essential government operations.
Unfortunately that wasn't a line item for selling all state owned sports and entertainment venues. there is no need to saddle the tax paying public with all these unnecessary liabilities and pensions.
 
My plan:

Increase all K-12 classes by one student
Eliminate all assistant principals in elementary schools
Give students who meet certain academic requirements a $2,000 scholarship for college
Raise tuition by $20 per hour/$640 per year
Increase community college class size by two students
Raise tuition by 10 per hour/$300 per year
Increase class size by two students Social Services
Reduce rehabilitative services to most severe cases
Realize savings from current initiatives to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse
Reduce Smart Start services for children by 25 percent
Reduce child care subsidies by 10 percent Public Safety
Reduce court system budget (judges, clerks, prosecutors) by 10 percent
Release 2,000 prisoners (5 percent of population)
Eliminate prisoner alcohol and substance abuse services
Lay off three percent state employees Reduce state employee pay by 1 percent
Reorganize government by consolidating agencies and programs...
Implement early retirement incentive program for teachers and state employees
Begin charging active employees and retirees a $20 monthly fee for health insurance Money
Sell ABC System to private vendors (one time revenue)
Regulate video lottery terminals
Keep one cent sales tax
Increase the tobacco tax to $1 per carton

Surplus: 1,822,800,00
Cuts: 1,657,800,000
New Money: 2,600,000,000
Job Cuts: 16,183
 
What amazes me about this is the amount of changes that could happen to the education system. Keeping in mind that the teachers of NC are the lowest paid out of the 50 states.... It is amazing there is any stability in the school systems at all.
 
tripped38 said:
Keeping in mind that the teachers of NC are the lowest paid out of the 50 states.
Click to expand...

Do you have a source for that? I can't verify it... but what I do find suggests that NC is maybe a low for starting salaries, but generally is middle of the pack.
 
saf-t scissors said:
Do you have a source for that? I can't verify it... but what I do find suggests that NC is maybe a low for starting salaries, but generally is middle of the pack.
Click to expand...

ditto.

lowball em to start, reward sticking it out. Sounds like a lot of professions.
 
I'll have to dig it up. It is on my computer at work. Sticking it out as a teacher in this state is difficult to say the least. Many districts are cutting the benefits that or bonus's that they used to give. Most districts are also on a pay freeze. I know that there are many industries that are going through the same issues. It is just interesting that education seems to be on the cutting block so quickly.

Found the two articles in my email. Got to love it when your parents are giving you subtle hints to move closer to them.

http://www.citizen-times.com/articl...127025/Report-NC-Named-Worst-Teacher-Salaries

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local_state/article.aspx?storyid=158356

I know these are not the best sources, but when talking to teachers across the country I can see how they came up with this.
 
tripped38 said:
What amazes me about this is the amount of changes that could happen to the education system. Keeping in mind that the teachers of NC are the lowest paid out of the 50 states.... It is amazing there is any stability in the school systems at all.
Click to expand...
not even close.
my neighbor just moved from sc schools to nc and got a 12k raise year 1...she graduated college in 06
 
Ron said:
not even close.
my neighbor just moved from sc schools to nc and got a 12k raise year 1...she graduated college in 06
Click to expand...

she must have really not made shit in sc. my girlfriend has been teaching two years now and imho, she doesnt make squat. im still in college, but if i worked full time making the same hourly wage i make now, id make right much more than she does.
 
Education
Increase all K-12 classes by one student
Reduce funding for children with special needs by 10 percent
Raise tuition by $20 per hour/$640 per year
Increase community college class size by one student
Increase class size by one student
Provide a 3 percent raise for teachers

Social Services
Reduce community mental health funds by 10 percent
Eliminate school nurses in public schools
Reduce Smart Start services for children by 10 percent
Reduce child care subsidies by 10 percent

Public Safety
Release 2,000 prisoners (5 percent of population)

General Government
Reduce state employee pay by 1 percent

JobsNOW
Increase funding for tourism marketing

Other
Reorganize government by consolidating agencies and programs; privatizing functions; and reducing layers of middle management
Implement early retirement incentive program for teachers and state employees
Begin charging active employees and retirees a $20 monthly fee for health insurance
Money

Regulate video lottery terminals
Increase the tobacco tax to $1 per carton
Keep one cent sales tax

Surplus: $767,800,000
Cuts: $927,800,000
New Money: $2,300,000,000
*I think it was only 6K or so jobs cut & I even increased teacher pay by 3%!
 
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