Leaders of the first Republican majority in the General Assembly in 100 years have proclaimed their budget realistic for these times, when the state was facing a $2.5 billion budget gap, and they insist that it's the product of compromise. They take satisfaction, no doubt, in overriding Gov. Beverly Perdue's veto and handing her a major political defeat. The House did so after midnight early yesterday. The Senate followed yesterday afternoon.
The GOP-crafted budget hinges on major cuts in virtually all state agencies, particularly in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. To help balance the books, Republicans also moved money from trust funds that are intended to promote better health for young people and invest in land conservation. And they forced substantial cuts on public school districts without specifying where those cuts should (or could) be made.
Some smoke and mirrors were involved, in other words. But up to now this budget has been up on the lift in the legislative garage.
Starting July 1, the rubber meets the road. And for many state workers, particularly for those who likely will be out of their jobs, the ride is going to be rough.
No picnic awaits those who still will be working. They'll have more work to do in the same amount of time, much of that work performing services for the public. Regulators and inspectors will be pushed to the limit, as Republicans who were bent on using the budget to help business interests who claim they've been overregulated succeeded in diminishing the investment in oversight.
All that said, dedicated state workers will get their jobs done, although there have been no raises for them (unless they're employed by the generous House Speaker Thom Tillis) and though the loads they carry will be heavier.
Republicans say they met Perdue halfway, but that's a curious definition of halfway. Yes, there appears on the surface to be little difference in their budget for K-12 schools and the governor's. But they sliced and diced two solid early childhood programs, More at Four and Smart Start. And mandatory budget cutting in local school districts is expected to require job layoffs in the thousands. Community colleges and public universities also took hits (and yes, Perdue made cuts as well, though more judicious).
What we do know about the consequences for public education is that North Carolina now will drop near the bottom in the country in per-pupil spending. No rhetoric, no "spin," will change the humiliation and harm in that. And in a state where courts have upheld every student's right to the opportunity for a "sound basic education," the fight over education funding might be just beginning.
The governor's less-damaging budget reflected a politically courageous decision to support continuation of part of a 1-cent sales tax boost passed in 2009. It was set to expire, but Perdue favored letting three-fourths of it continue for a while, which would have brought in over $800 million, saving many jobs. Perhaps in a more reasonable time, without the anti-government tea partyers looking over Republican shoulders, lawmakers could have come back with an offer to keep half the tax. But the GOP - which in the end drew five Democratic House members to help with their veto override - didn't budge.
As to whether that is smart budget gamesmanship or stubborn partisanship, only time can take the measure.
