Two history programs aimed at kids could be cut.
In recent years, the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources has run an annual "History Bowl" tournament for fourth- and eighth-graders.
Starting with local competitions, the teams of students answer questions on North Carolina history, such as how many state-supported Indian tribes there are or who Isaac Hunter was.
The number of students has dropped from 230 in 2003 to 189 in 2008, said spokesman Joe Newberry. By comparison, the Tar Heel Junior Historians, a scholastic competition, and the national History Day celebration were drawing more interest.
The annual competition cost $17,194.
In addition, the department has had a full-time staffer developing N.C. ECHO, a Web site that features links to state historical collections of interest to K-12 students and curious Web surfers. That position paid $67,232.
Gov. Beverly Perdue has proposed ending state support for the History Bowl and eliminating the Web developer, though the site would remain online.
Blog RSS feed
