Smart Start next on the chopping block?

There's been a lot of debate locally about whether the Bright Beginnings pre-K program should be scaled back as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools tries to close a $100 million budget gap. But over in Raleigh, a pitched battle is brewing over another treasured early childhood education program: Smart Start. Smart Start is a statewide network of 77 local groups focused on improving childcare, parenting and children's health. Spending targets Republican leaders in the General Assembly unveiled yesterday include possible consolidation or elimination of Smart Start and the More at Four preschool program.

Rep. Beverly Earle called me the other day voicing indignation about what she called a "witch hunt" by the conservative Civitas Institute. One of its policy analysts, Andrew Henson, has been requesting reams of data from Smart Start offices across the state. On Tuesday, Henson revealed his findings to about a dozen House representatives at a meeting where Smart Smart backers were not invited to speak. News accounts said his analysis found concerns over "excessive bureaucracy and the potential for a lack of oversight."

Rubbish, say Smart Start backers. They packed the hearing to show their support for the program. Regular, state-mandated audits have turned up few problems, they contend. Jane Meyer of Mecklenburg's Smart Start says her group hasn't had any audits turn up major problems in her 9 years at the helm. "This is nothing but harassment," Earle says. "It's nothing but a witch hunt. Like if they keep looking they'll find something to justify taking" money from the program. Henson and Civitas appear undeterred. A Civitas blog post Wednesday questioned why so many Smart Start officials could turn up for a legislative hearing when they ostensibly should have been working.

Stay tuned. I suspect we'll be hearing lots more about all this before the state budget is adopted later this year.