Budget picks sides in Atkinson-Perdue

The Senate budget is the latest battleground for educational oversight.

A section of the 2009 budget released by Senate leaders last night would shift power from Superintendent June Atkinson to an appointee of Gov. Beverly Perdue's.

The two Democrats have been fighting over whether the superintendent of the head of the Board of Education should be in charge of schools. Atkinson has sued over the issue.

The budget sides with Perdue, changing wording in state statutes to put the chief executive officer — Perdue appointee Bill Harrison — in charge of administering state education tests:

(b) The Superintendent of Public Instruction Chief Executive Officer shall be responsible, under policies adopted by the State Board of Education, for the statewide administration of the testing program provided by this Article.

Update: "This proposed change is just another example of why we need the court system to determine the constitutionality of the role of the state superintendent," Atkinson told Dome. "We need that clarity."

Hat Tip: Chris Hayes