REAL News for REAL People
Education Leaders in 35+ School Districts Continue to Speak Out Against Extreme Republican Plans to Dismantle Public Education
Press Release:
RALEIGH: Education leaders in more than 35 school districts are continuing to speak out in opposition to the extreme Republican plans proposed in the General Assembly that would decimate public schools and call on legislators to make meaningful investments in public education.
"The Republican proposed budgets hurt public education by refusing to give teachers meaningful raises while taking taxpayer money from public schools to allow millionaires thousands of dollars to keep their children in private academies," said Governor Roy Cooper. "Education and business leaders from urban and rural areas continue to call out these extreme plans because they know how critical public education is to our state's success."
In the past few weeks, several additional school boards have passed resolutions condemning these dangerous plans, including:
In addition to school boards taking action to outline what's at stake with these plans, education leaders have continued speaking out in their communities and local papers as well.
Last week, Dr. Whitney Oakley, Superintendent of Guilford County Schools, wrote an op-ed in EdNC highlighting how communities can only be as strong as their public schools. She discussed the need to attract and retain teachers with competitive compensation, the range of choice programs Guilford County Schools offers families and how public schools belong to everyone, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or ability to pay.
The above school boards join sixteen school boards from both rural and urban counties that have previously passed resolutions calling on Republicans to invest in public education, including:
Other leaders in public education have also spoken out in opposition of bills expanding private school vouchers. Nineteen superintendents in the northeast region sent a letter to legislators expressing their concerns with the proposed voucher expansion and highlighting the negative impacts the expansion would have on the school districts in their region. The nineteen superintendents oversee:
The State Board of Education Chairman sent a letter to legislators outlining the board's concerns with the proposed expansion of the private school voucher program and the bills being considered by the General Assembly that would erode the State Board's authority to oversee the state's public education system.
The Guilford County Commissioners passed a resolution on the need to invest in public education. Mike Hawkins, a former Transylvania County Commissioner and business owner, published an op-ed highlighting the negative impacts the proposed expansion of private school vouchers would have on local public school funding, specifically in Transylvania County.
Dr. Kim Morrison, Superintendent of Mt. Airy City Schools, published an op-ed highlighting the great things public schools in Mt. Airy and across the state provide to students and their communities. She also pointed out the danger that the proposed expansion of private school vouchers poses to public schools in her community.
The North Carolina Caucus of Black School Board Members passed a resolution urging community members to contact legislators and ask them to oppose Senate Bill 406 and House Bill 823.
The Republicans' extreme proposals would choke the life out of public education by causing public schools to lose hundreds of millions of dollars through the expansion of private school vouchers, exacerbating the state's teacher shortage and granting no substantive funding for early childhood education and child care.
Expanding voucher eligibility to any K-12 student will force public schools, especially those in rural and poorer counties, to make steep cuts, leaving schools without the resources to hire enough teachers and support students.
In FY 2026-27 alone, public schools across the state would be projected to see a decline in state funding of more than $203 million. That number is expected to increase as the proposed voucher expansion ramps up in later years. The proposed expansion would impact counties across the state differently. In FY 2026-27, 31 counties would see a 3% or greater decline in total state funding with an average of $2.9 million loss in state funding.
Governor Cooper has traveled across the state to visit public schools and sound the alarm on these dangerous plans. The Governor has visited schools in New Hanover, Greene, Buncombe, Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford and Alamance Counties.
Contact: Sam Chan
Phone: (919) 814-2100 • Email: govpress@nc.gov
Go Back
RALEIGH: Education leaders in more than 35 school districts are continuing to speak out in opposition to the extreme Republican plans proposed in the General Assembly that would decimate public schools and call on legislators to make meaningful investments in public education.
"The Republican proposed budgets hurt public education by refusing to give teachers meaningful raises while taking taxpayer money from public schools to allow millionaires thousands of dollars to keep their children in private academies," said Governor Roy Cooper. "Education and business leaders from urban and rural areas continue to call out these extreme plans because they know how critical public education is to our state's success."
In the past few weeks, several additional school boards have passed resolutions condemning these dangerous plans, including:
- Alexander County Schools
- Clinton City Schools
- Durham Public Schools
- Montgomery County Schools
- Richmond County Schools
- Roanoke Rapids Graded School District
In addition to school boards taking action to outline what's at stake with these plans, education leaders have continued speaking out in their communities and local papers as well.
Last week, Dr. Whitney Oakley, Superintendent of Guilford County Schools, wrote an op-ed in EdNC highlighting how communities can only be as strong as their public schools. She discussed the need to attract and retain teachers with competitive compensation, the range of choice programs Guilford County Schools offers families and how public schools belong to everyone, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or ability to pay.
The above school boards join sixteen school boards from both rural and urban counties that have previously passed resolutions calling on Republicans to invest in public education, including:
- Asheville City Schools
- Buncombe County Schools
- Burke County Schools
- Cabarrus County Schools
- Camden County Schools
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
- Chatham County Schools
- Cumberland County Schools
- Gates County Schools
- Guilford County Schools
- Madison County Schools
- Mooresville Graded School District
- Scotland County Schools
- Stanly County Schools
- Washington County Schools
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Other leaders in public education have also spoken out in opposition of bills expanding private school vouchers. Nineteen superintendents in the northeast region sent a letter to legislators expressing their concerns with the proposed voucher expansion and highlighting the negative impacts the expansion would have on the school districts in their region. The nineteen superintendents oversee:
- Gates County Schools
- Perquimans County Schools
- Bertie County Schools
- Beaufort County Schools
- Camden County Schools
- Currituck County Schools
- Dare County Schools
- Edenton-Chowan Schools
- Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Schools
- Halifax County Schools
- Hertford County Schools
- Hyde County Schools
- Martin County Schools
- Northampton County Schools
- Pitt County Schools
- Roanoke Rapids Graded School District
- Tyrrell County Schools
- Washington County Schools
- Weldon City Schools
The State Board of Education Chairman sent a letter to legislators outlining the board's concerns with the proposed expansion of the private school voucher program and the bills being considered by the General Assembly that would erode the State Board's authority to oversee the state's public education system.
The Guilford County Commissioners passed a resolution on the need to invest in public education. Mike Hawkins, a former Transylvania County Commissioner and business owner, published an op-ed highlighting the negative impacts the proposed expansion of private school vouchers would have on local public school funding, specifically in Transylvania County.
Dr. Kim Morrison, Superintendent of Mt. Airy City Schools, published an op-ed highlighting the great things public schools in Mt. Airy and across the state provide to students and their communities. She also pointed out the danger that the proposed expansion of private school vouchers poses to public schools in her community.
The North Carolina Caucus of Black School Board Members passed a resolution urging community members to contact legislators and ask them to oppose Senate Bill 406 and House Bill 823.
The Republicans' extreme proposals would choke the life out of public education by causing public schools to lose hundreds of millions of dollars through the expansion of private school vouchers, exacerbating the state's teacher shortage and granting no substantive funding for early childhood education and child care.
Expanding voucher eligibility to any K-12 student will force public schools, especially those in rural and poorer counties, to make steep cuts, leaving schools without the resources to hire enough teachers and support students.
In FY 2026-27 alone, public schools across the state would be projected to see a decline in state funding of more than $203 million. That number is expected to increase as the proposed voucher expansion ramps up in later years. The proposed expansion would impact counties across the state differently. In FY 2026-27, 31 counties would see a 3% or greater decline in total state funding with an average of $2.9 million loss in state funding.
Governor Cooper has traveled across the state to visit public schools and sound the alarm on these dangerous plans. The Governor has visited schools in New Hanover, Greene, Buncombe, Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford and Alamance Counties.
Contact: Sam Chan
Phone: (919) 814-2100 • Email: govpress@nc.gov
Home
Contact
About
Service Rates
Privacy Policy
Follow on Facebook
Subscribe to Newsletters
Rss Feed
Keywords
Eastern NC Now & ENC NOW © Copyright 1998-2024 All Rights Reserved.
