When legislators return to Raleigh in May their primary task involves adjusting the billion General Fund budget for - As they approach that task the John Locke Foundation has compiled a new document that should help them place budget decisions in context It's dubbed the North Carolina Budget in Pictures Senior Fellow Joseph Coletti explains how those pictures will help policymakers and the public make sense of a complex document As the election season heats up veteran political strategist Marc Rotterman is analyzing key factors that will shape the outcome of critical contests at ballot boxes across the country The [... more]

The University of North Carolina system recently studied the way its campuses train teachers for the state's public schools The resulting report titled Leading On Literacy draws poor reviews from Terry Stoops John Locke Foundation vice president for research Stoops shares his concerns about UNC teacher training He also offers suggestions for improvement Time is running out for North Carolina's gas tax to play the leading role in funding state transportation projects Adrian Moore vice president for policy at the libertarian Reason Foundation delivered that message recently to state lawmakers Moore explains why he believes now is a good time [... more]