North Carolina officials averted a potential showdown with a state judge after Gov. Michael F. Easley ordered $10 million more be allocated to help the state’s most disadvantaged school districts.
This past summer, the state board of education was praised by Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Howard E. Manning when it promised to pump an additional $22 million into 16 of the state’s low-wealth districts, primarily for teacher recruitment and retention.
The judge called an emergency hearing in July, however, after the legislature failed to approve the additional money. But Mr. Easley stepped in with an executive order promising $12 million from reserve funds, which temporarily satisfied Judge Manning.
This month, with the state set to report to the court, the governor ordered the department of public instruction to find an additional $10 million in its budget to pay for the plan.
