As the 50 states pass their budgets in trying times, education spending is taking one of the hardest hits. In North Carolina, the cuts are so severe that Gov. Beverly Perdue warns "they will do generational damage" to public education.

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School board gives parents the choice to opt out.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The increase in home foreclosures plus the high jobless and poverty rates brought on by the

Charlotte – The increase in home foreclosures plus the high jobless and poverty rates brought on by the recession have affected the children of North Carolina, particularly Hispanics, according to a new report.

According to the study "Children in the Great Recession," prepared by Action for Children of North Carolina, due to the slow recovery of the state's economy and cuts in aid programs for low-income families, youngsters now face greater economic difficulties than in the past.

Action for Children North Carolina recently released its new report, North Carolina Children in the Recession. The report explores the impacts of the Great Recession on North Carolina’s children and youth. Child poverty has increased during the recession and, due to the sluggish recovery and divestment from state programs for children, the effects of the recession for North Carolina’s children are likely to linger for some time. The following is from the report’s executive summary: