GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's called the North Carolina Education Lottery. I mean, it's right there in the name. So why are we constantly hearing about shortfalls in school budgets and the struggle to pay teachers more?
Let's look at the numbers according to the NC Education Lottery website. Since the NC Education Lottery started in 2006, lottery games have raised more than $10 billion for education. Last year, $1 billion was divided between the 100 counties. About 30% of lottery money goes to schools, and 70% goes to pay out lottery winnings.
The North Carolina General Assembly decides how the money will be used, not the schools or the districts. Last year this is how the General Assembly split up the money:
38% School Staff*
8% Pre-K
48% School Construction
4% Scholarships and Grants
2% Transportation.
But even these numbers need more context, for example, school staff. You might think that 38% of the money for school staff includes teachers. It doesn't. This is non-instructional support personnel.
Van Denton, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Lottery, confirmed, that money does not go to teacher salaries.
Again, this isn't the school system making that decision. The distribution numbers and categories are set up by your state lawmakers in the general assembly.
Do you want to see how the lottery money for your school district fleshes out? Go to the site and scroll down until you see the map of NC. Pick your county.
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