Budget negotiators from the House and Senate have reportedly come to a tentative agreement on the main sticking points in state budget negotiations.
The state House and Senate on Saturday agreed on the outlines of a budget that gives teachers a raise of about 7 percent and saves the jobs of teacher assistants.
The deal comes a month late and after weeks of sometimes acrimonious negotiations between the two chambers.
But after meetings that took up much of Saturday, both House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate leader Phil Berger were in accord, using their individual Twitter accounts to announce: “Budget framework agreed upon between House & Senate conferees. Final details expected next week.”
Sen. Tom Apodaca, the Rules Committee chairman from Henderson County, said the details will be worked out in the next few days.
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Sen. Harry Brown, a chief budget negotiator, said under the deal agreed upon Saturday, average teacher raises will be “about” 7 percent. No teacher assistants will be fired under the agreement, the Jacksonville Republican said, but the budget will take away some of the flexibility school districts had to use money allotted for teacher assistants for other expenses.
Districts had been using teacher assistant funds to hire teachers. Brown said the budget takes that teacher assistant money and redirects it to teacher positions…..
Negotiators have agreed on a $135 million Medicaid cut, but some of the details are going to be left to budget subcommittee leaders to work out, he said.
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