July 2023: Public Education

Americans value strong public schools as an important part of democracy. In NC, our state constitution guarantees all students an equal opportunity for a sound basic education in a free public school system.

Thanks to Republican lawmakers, NC is ranked last in the nation in K-12 public school funding. Republicans want to take away tax dollars from public schools and give them to unaccountable private schools that can discriminate against students and families.

Republicans in the NC legislature are refusing to release $655M in court-ordered funding for public schools and are taking away up to $450M from public schools over the next decade by increasing private school vouchers.

They plan to underpay teachers and dictate what they can teach about history, climate, racism, and more. They passed a bill preventing teachers from mentioning gender identity while teaching and forcing teachers to report LGBTQ+ students to their parents.

Democratic Governor Roy Cooper proposed increasing public school funding and raising teacher pay by an average of 18% over the next 2 years to reduce a critical statewide teacher shortage. He also proposed a $1.5 billion increase in early childhood care and pre-K education to help working families. 

Democratic legislators filed a bill in 2021 to require the teaching of Black and Native American history in public schools.

Republicans in Congress proposed a budget that would take away funds from schools serving low-income students and take away  funds from school programs supporting mental health and students with disabilities. They also want to take away funding for college Pell grants.

Democratic President Joe Biden’s proposed budget would increase spending for schools serving low-income students, school counselors, and programs for students with disabilities. It would provide free pre-K and community college, and more funding for every aspect of public education – all with no increase in the deficit because it would be paid for by the wealthiest and big corporations finally paying what they owe.

Polling in North Carolina has found that 62% of adults in North Carolina believe that public schools are underfunded.

Moreover, 60% of North Carolinians believe it is more important to invest in K-12 public schools than to cut personal income tax.