As folks work to restore their communities after Irene, there is a spot of good news to report in the eastern part of the state. Tarboro High School was one of many buildings damaged by the hurricane. But, as The Rocky Mount Telegram reports, it didn't take a natural disaster for Edgecombe County Public Schools to get the money needed to fix it. In the wake of the storm, the roof replacement can move forward without drawing on funds needed to repair other damage:
“Before the storm even occurred, replacing the roof at Tarboro High had already been budgeted for the 2011-12 year,” [Edgecombe County Public Schools communication specialist Lauren] Edmondson said. “The (school board) had budgeted $400,000 in lottery funds to cover the cost.”
It's an example of how, even when there isn't an emergency, schools need resources. That's why lottery funds benefit school construction projects like this in all 100 counties across the state. Just last week we blogged about $3.9 million in lottery-funded school construction in Moore County – projects taxpayers won't have to pay for.
Other statewide education initiatives that lottery funds benefit are teacher salaries, need-based college scholarships, and prekindergarten programs. Lottery funds will never be able to fulfill every education need – lottery funds make up about 5% of the total state education budget. But if you want to know how much your county has received, you can review county-by-county totals through June 30, 2010 on our website.
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