(The Center Square) – Spending $11.4 billion in General Assembly appropriations and another $5.1 billion through the state lottery and federal revenue, North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction got a green light on its most recent audit.
Easily one of the largest spenders of tax dollars in the state, first-term Republican Auditor Dave Boliek says the year ending June 30, 2024, had records that can be relied upon. Republican Catherine Truitt was overseeing the department then; Democrat Mo Green won election in November and met with Boliek after the analysis.
Regarding revenues, expenditures and changes in fund balance, the report says expenditures increased $672.2 million compared to the previous fiscal year primarily due to three causes. One was “$406.2 million in state funded teachers and school administration benefits.” Second, despite lottery revenues exceeding expenditures, overall expenditures went up $131.9 million “due to timing differences from capital projects spanning multiple years and increases in the availability of funding.”
And, a third cause was $117.9 million more in federal expenditures from new grant awards, increases in grant awards, and increases in reimbursements for school meals.
In the general fund budget, revenues and expenditures were lower than budgeted primarily tied to timing on federal funds. The report says the variances are expected.
Boliek’s staff reported Green and the State Board of Education had created a new strategic plan for 2025-27 and submitted it to the General Assembly, which his yet to finalize the two-year budget. The report says, “These requests support the advancement of important education matters.”
