School funding and the long-proposed career technical/vocational high school are on the agenda for today's joint meeting of the Wake County school board and county commissioners.

Superintendent Tony Tata and Wake Tech Community College President Stephen Scott will talk about a potential career and technical education high school partnership. The idea of beefing up the vocational programs for high school students in Wake has been talked about for a long time.

After getting an update on the county's economic situation, both boards will discuss Tata's budget proposal. It's not expected that Tata's proposed $8.8 million increase from the county will get a warm reception from the commissioners.

You may also hear discussion about when a school construction bond issue might be put on the ballot in 2013.

A N.C. House budget proposal brokered late this week brought at least a temporary measure of relief to community college officials and local police and fire chiefs alike.

As budget writers in recent weeks have grappled with growing deficits, they had considered axing waivers traditionally given to police, fire, EMS and other service agencies who take continuing education and other training courses at community colleges.

These waivers are valuable: police and fire agencies large and small have long relied on them to keep their officers current and certified. And there's real value to them; this year, Wake Technical Community College provides $2.47 million worth of free - or "waived" - courses to police, fire, EMS workers as well as prison inmates and senior citizens. Durham Technical Community College provides nearly $500,000 this year, and Alamance Community Technical College chips in $677,000.

That's a lot of training.

"The argument has been that these are folks who put their lives on the line," said Bill Ingram, Durham Tech's president. "Many of them must have this training on an ongoing basis."