Education
Gov. Roy Cooper nominates two to serve on State Board of Education
Gov. Roy Cooper has nominated former state representative Linda Cooper-Suggs and businessman John M. Blackburn to fill seats on the State Board of Education. The governor’s nominations must be approved by the General Assembly. Board members serve eight-year terms. Cooper-Suggs, a Democrat from Wilson County, would replace Amy White as the board’s District 3 representative, […]
House dumps item in bill allowing Beaufort County Schools to use controversial history curriculum
The House has removed a provision to allow Beaufort County Schools to use a controversial social studies curriculum that questions the legitimacy of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that one lawmaker tried to slip into two unrelated bills. An amendment introduced by Rep. Hugh Blackwell, a Burke County Republican, to remove the provision from House […]
State Board of Education allows enrollment increase for low-performing virtual charter school
A low-performing virtual charter school’s request to increase its enrollment by nearly 20% was narrowly approved by the State Board of Education on Thursday. As a result the NC Virtual Academy will increase its enrollment from 2,592 to 3,100 next school year. The request was approved on a 5-4 vote without comment. Earlier in the […]
Bill creating new charter school oversight panel headed to the Senate
A bill creating a new Charter School Review Board with the authority to green light new schools was approved by the House on Wednesday and sent to the Senate ahead of the crossover deadline. Under House Bill 618, the new review panel would replace the Charter School Advisory Board and assume many of the charter […]
NC House panel advances controversial bill to dramatically expand school vouchers
The state’s House Committee on K-12 Education on Tuesday powered through a controversial expansion of North Carolina’s school voucher program that could forever change the state’s public education landscape. House Bill 823 was topic No. 1 ahead of Thursday’s crossover deadline. The Republican-backed legislation would open the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program to all families regardless […]
Monday numbers: the continuing student suicide crisis at NC State
Last week, students at North Carolina State University concluding their first week of finals learned of terrible news: two apparent student suicides. “This is heartbreaking,” Chancellor Randy Woodson wrote in a community message Thursday. “And I know there’s little I can say to console the deep hurt or heal the immense grief felt by the […]
Weekend reads: Billions more for school vouchers, denying treatment on moral grounds, and three blockbuster court rulings
In this issue: 1. Senate advances bill to to spend billions of public money on private school vouchers North Carolina is moving to a “backpack” school funding model to allow parents to take state education dollars to the schools of their choice, even private ones, says Sen. Michael Lee, a New Hanover County Republican. Lee […]
As GOP lawmakers target university tenure, faculty and campus leaders sound the alarm
As the legislative session picks up pace in Raleigh this month, UNC System faculty members, students, alumni and even chancellors are pushing back against a slate of bills they say would fundamentally alter higher education in North Carolina, with potentially disastrous results for the system and the state. The ambitious package of legislation would, among other […]
House sends bill establishing new K-12 standards commission to Senate
A bill creating a new commission to recommend the standards taught in K-12 subjects was approved by the House on Thursday and sent to the Senate. An amendment to House Bill 756 giving the governor the authority to appoint six members to the Standards Advisory Commission was also approved by the House. An earlier version […]
Pence walks political line in UNC-Chapel Hill speech
A little over a half-hour into former Vice President Mike Pence’s talk at UNC-Chapel Hill Wednesday evening, the only real interruption came. “Trump trusted you!” a man heckled from the crowd of just over 500 in the Great Hall of the campus student union. “You betrayed Trump!” As security ejected the man and the crowd […]
Senate advances bill to to spend billions of public money on private school vouchers
North Carolina is moving to a “backpack” school funding model to allow parents to take state education dollars to the schools of their choice, even private ones, says Sen. Michael Lee, a New Hanover County Republican. Lee made the comment Wednesday during a discussion about Republican-backed Senate Bill 406, which would expand the state’s “Opportunity […]
As NC legislators target “obscenity,” the nation’s top librarian has her say
Members of the House Judiciary committee passed legislation Tuesday that would increase the severity of punishment for intentionally disseminating obscenity while knowingly in the presence of minors. The ‘Prevent Harm to Children’ act (Senate Bill 579) would increase the penalty from a Class I felony to a Class H for violations. The brief conversation in […]