Pre-K limits in spotlight before appeal

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Days before a North Carolina appeals court takes up whether every needy child must be given pre-kindergarten education, state lawmakers are walking back from language that prompted a lawsuit.

Senate committees on Wednesday continue reviewing a broad education policy overhaul. The proposal scraps job-protecting teacher tenure laws, increases the emphasis on reading skills in early grades, and adds nearly 2,300 slots to the North Carolina Pre-K program.

The Legislature last year limited the number of spots for at-risk youngsters and required parents to co-payments up to 10 percent of their income for their children to participate.

Senators now want to remove those requirements. A lawsuit brought on by that language will be argued before the state Court of Appeals next week.