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UNC President Tom Ross weighed in Friday on the House budget that passed this week, saying it has "sobering implications" for the university campuses.

"Across the country, state leaders from both parties are making strategic investments in their public universities," Ross told the UNC Board of Governors. "They understand that talent is the most valuable commodity in today's economic competition and they're gearing up to compete."

Gov. Pat McCrory raised the possibility Wednesday that public education leaders- from pre-K to the university system - would get together on a budget to send legislators rather than have each sector work separately with the governor's office on the proposal.

McCrory described it as his "Aha!" moment as he assembled his first budget.

Closer collaboration on budgeting was one of the goals discussed at the first Education Cabinet meeting in the McCrory administration.The cabinet has the branches of state education and a representative of independent universities consider joint projects and ways to cooperate.

A collaborative budget would be a switch from current practice, where budget requests are developed separately and the K-12 public education and the UNC system often seen to be competing for money at the legislature.

McCrory said he and his budget staff thought it would be better to have pre-K through universities work on a budget together - "have an education budget as opposed to a university budget, or a K-12 budget, or a community college budget, or a pre-K budget."

McCrory acknowledged that there is already information shared. For example, leaders of the community college system meet regularly with UNC system leaders and with the state Department of Public Instruction. But McCrory wants a formal process with his office in on it.

On Wednesday, the General Assembly returns to Raleigh to begin the long session, which is expected to last about five months. In today's paper we take a comprehensive look at the people and the issues that will be making the news, and the laws, in the months ahead. From lawmakers to lobbyists -- and lawmakers turned lobbyists -- plus key staffers behind the scenes, and an army of competing interests, the statehouse on Jones Street is about to begin whistling like a kettle.

State legislators want high school students to take the stanadardized tests ACT and WorkKeys, but provided no money in the budget for them.

Legislators last year endorsed the move toward these national standardized tests as a means of measuring school quality and student readiness for college or work. Schools gave 11th graders the ACT this spring, but the state Department of Public Instruction had to scrape together the money to pay for it.

June Atkinson, state superintendent of public instruction, told legislative leaders in a letter last week that the department probably wouldn't be able to scrounge up enough money to pay for another round.

What if Pat McCrory becomes governor and a third of his education platform is already built?

Several points in Republican candidate's education plan are already sitting on Gov. Bev Perdue's desk. The education plan Senate Republicans promoted this year had significant overlap with McCrory's, and the proposals are rolled into the state budget legislators passed last week.

End third grade social promotion? Check.

The Senate plan would limit promotion of third graders who do not read at grade level.

House Speaker Thom Tillis says the budget is nearly finished. After a few details are decided, the plan is to read it in tonight. There will be a press conference tomorrow morning. 

Big differences in the House and Senate versions of the budget : school spending and roads. "Right now it's looking like a consensus budget that takes some of the better aspects of the House budget and some good ideas on the Senate budget in terms of changes in recurring and nonrecurring sources," Tillis said. 

The plan is to have a vote by Friday and give Gov. Bev Perdue 10 days to sign or veto it, Tillis said. The veto deadline would expire Sunday, July 1. That would give the legislature time to deal with a veto override in time to end the session by July 2, Tillis said. 

The mostly GOP-authored budget does not do enough for public education, House Democrats said at a news conference Wednesday

Democrats made their budget critique a few hours before the full House was scheduled to vote on the $20.3 billion plan. Republicans scraped together about $330 million to put toward K-12 education next year, enough to maintain the financial status quo.

But House Democrats said the budget continues to shortchange K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities. Democrats stopped short, however, of recommending a tax increase to raise more money. "It's up to them to find the money to meet the needs of this state," said House Minority Leader Joe Hackney, an Orange County Democrat.

June Atkinson, state superintendent for public instruction, likes the House proposed budget for education.

In a statement today, Atkinson asked the full House Appropriations Committee to approve the education budget subcommittee's proposal.

Most Democrats haven't had such nice things to say about GOP-authored budgets,  but the House education draft has drawn some qualified praise from House Democrats.

The proposal adds money to the K-12 budget to replace $259 million in federal stimulus money that is running out, and negates a $74 million reduction local districts have to take next year.

The House budget subcommittee on education discussed options for spending  any extra money next year on schools, community colleges and universities, should there be any more money. 

The subcommittee may know this week how much more money they can spend and will discuss how to spend it. Legislators have focused on getting rid of the next round of discreationary cuts to K-12 schools, which would add $74 million to the amount districts have to return to the state.

Rep. Hugh Blackman, one of the subcommittee co-chairman, said the House chief budget writers have determined there's enough money to erase that cut. Another item on the list of possibles is the $259 million in federal stimulus money that districts are spending this year that will run out by fall. Here's the consider list below.

Americans for Prosperity liked the GOP-authored budget so much it ran radio and television ads this spring supporting it.

AFP's North Carolina director Dallas Woodhouse has some advice for legislators as they work on a revised budget for next year: do nothing. "There's no point in writing a whole new budget," Woodhouse said. "They have a budget."

Republicans had to drop some pork into this year's budget to get enough House Democrats to support it.  In a news release, Woodhouse mentioned the prison (for Rep. Bill Brisson), a bridge (for Rep. Bill Owens) and "some little museums."