At its May 5 meeting, the Board of Education adopted a resolution in response to Governor Perdue’s Executive Order 11, Flexible Furlough.
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Governor Beverly Perdue issued an Executive Order requiring a .5 percent reduction in the wages of State paid employees before the end of the fiscal year and with a provision of 10 hours of flexible leave to these employees to be taken between June 1 and December 31, 2009; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Education recognizes the economic crisis facing the State and the Governor’s constitutional requirement to balance the State budget, but strongly objects to the directives of the Executive Order and the failure of the Order to consider its impact on the operation of public schools; and
WHEREAS, the Executive Order creates inherent inequities and issues in light of the various funding sources of school employee salaries; and
WHEREAS, the Executive Order fails to account for the daily demands of providing education services to students 180 days of the year, including the necessity of teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and myriad others to be at work every school day; and
WHEREAS, many school staff will be unable to utilize the flexible furlough hours provided under the Executive Order.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Wake County Board of Education requests the Governor, the Legislature and the State Board of Education:
Take whatever action is necessary to reduce the minimum 180 day requirement by one day for the 2008-09 school year to allow this time to be used for the flexible furlough required by the Executive Order; and
Seek alternative methods for balancing the State budget that adequately address the complexities of operating a local school district.
Approved and adopted this 5th day of May 2009.
Rosa Gill, Chair
Wake County Board of Education
Del Burns, Superintendent
Wake County Public School System