I cannot tell you how sad and angry it makes me to see what the Republican supermajority is doing to the public schools in North Carolina, from preschool to PhD. As the daughter of an elementary teacher, I was appalled when we moved here to find there were no public kindergartens. That was soon remedied, but it showed me there were a lot of holes in the public face of North Carolina as a “progressive state.”
Fast forward to today and what we see is the real face of what Republicans want for education.
* $200 million less for public schools where 80 percent of our children are enrolled but up to $530 million from public funds to provide scholarships to private schools for every family in the state, including millionaires.
*Fewer funds for the law school and the School of Government – that last is where the new town and city mayors and council members go to learn about town/city government – while a new school about civics they pushed on UNC-CH is more than fully funded.
*Nothing in their budget for the Leandro funds judges have ruled should be paid to under-funded and struggling school systems on the coast.
*Measly 2.5 percent pay raises for teachers, which will raise the state salary for beginning teachers from $37,000 to $39,000. Granted, starting teachers in counties like Wake will get much more but from local funds, but not those teachers in school systems in less wealthy counties.
*Nothing more for school counselors and psychologists and nurses and bus drivers and cafeteria workers and janitors. Nothing more for repairs to aging schools.
Meanwhile the Republicans are passing bills to interfere with what teachers can teach and how students can learn.
It has taken Republicans 10 years to gain enough power to begin dictating to all levels of education here and they will not stop with the bills passed this year.
If you are alarmed. If you want qualified, educated, collaborative teachers to teach the way experience and science are the best ways to reach children, if you do not want legislators to dictate how classes are taught, you must fight back as I must.
Vote for legislators who will help build schools, pay teachers what they are worth, and stop the dictators.
By Carol Pelosi
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November 1, 2024
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11 Responses
Personally, I think most of the NCGA folks are idiots from both parties. They have been throwing some crazy bills out there this session. The thing these rural Republicans are not seeing is the fact that when the public school system is your county’s biggest employer where will those employees work after the public schools close? Sure some will get jobs at private schools but not all will. Where will your neurodivergent kids go to school? We all know charters & private schools often can not serve their needs.
My question to those commenting. Do you think K-12 students of 2023 are better educated/prepared than you were by grade 12?
No i think they are worse educated. I think a lot of that is due to the fact education is all about testing now. They have taken creativity away from teachers. The love of learning is missing from the classrooms. That you will find in every school private, public, charter etc.
If you get kids interested in learning curiosity will fill in the fine details. Have more hands on learning & get them interested in subjects by doing fun activities. Have special guests brought in.
I would rather my kids walk away knowing 10 big key things & have a thirst for knowledge then having to drag them to school everyday & having 100 ideas drilled into them & hating to read. Politicians on both sides can take their tests, & throw them out the door till high school.
Education should meet kids 1/2 way. Teachers I get it there’s too many kids in a classroom & there is too much material to cover. Every other kid doesn’t need to be on meds. Stop with all the testing & standards & you’ll get better-educated kids in the long run in my book.
FYI. I taught public education for 29 years and a charter for 10 years, I know that a charter school is a “type” of public education, but having no transportation, no cafeteria, wavers that allow subjects to be taught without the person teaching that subject having a proper degree and being able to turn down “certain”” students and putting caps on classes changes who is able to attend a charter.
I agree with you 100%. As a 33-year veteran of WCPSS, it is so sad to see the decline over the past 15 years. I am convinced that Moore (and Tyson, at the time) had their sights set on dismantling public education. North Carolina used to be a destination for “good schools”; now, dollars and sound governance are being siphoned off yearly. Charter schools and vouchers — how is any of this legal or in any way follow a policy of separation of church and state? The Republican Party is slowly and purposely destroying public education in North Carolina.
Hi Carol, can I share this very well-written article on my Facebook page?
Yes. Thank you.
When the cap was removed from 100 charter schools and then the voucher system got started, I saw the writing on the wall. I remember hearing comments that Tepubicans are trying to kill public education. Then the craziness of parents willing to send their children to private schools that indoctrinate with their particular type of propaganda, but fear that their children are being taught the truth of our history or find out that the caucastiom race is not superior. I have never seen this statistic, but my guess is that our schools are more segregated now than before Integration.
Charter schools are public schools, FYI.
I spent 31 years as a Media Coordinator (Librarian) at what was then Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. During those years many North Carolina schools, and especially those in Wake County, were considered an example of educational excellence. Administrators and teacher groups from around the county visited Wake County schools to study how we achieved that excellence. The past 10 years I have been saddened and am now angered to watch the North Carolina legislature work to undermine public education and to dismantle all the efforts expended to enable us to be outstanding.
Thank you Carol for this important article!
I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for putting voice to my thoughts.