school vouchers
Democrats make a final, unsuccessful push against school voucher expansion
Democratic lawmakers on Thursday vigorously pushed back against a Republican-led effort to expand the state’s school voucher program that will make it accessible to North Carolina’s wealthiest families. It was the last chance Democrats had to change minds about the voucher expansion just ahead of successful House and Senate votes approving a $30 billion state […]
State Rep. Tricia Cotham welcomes Georgia lawmaker into the Republican fold
State Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) didn’t waste much time welcoming Georgia lawmaker Mesha Mainor into the Republican Party. Mainor announced Tuesday that she is leaving the Democratic Party after falling out with state party leaders over a recent vote she cast in support of a school voucher bill. Cotham quickly tweeted this note: “Welcome to […]
Gov. Roy Cooper highlights mounting opposition to school voucher expansion
Public education advocates are circling the wagons in attempt to fend off what they consider attacks against public schools from North Carolina conservatives. In a press release Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office highlighted efforts from education leaders across the state who have spoken out against “extreme North Carolina General Assembly legislation that would decimate public […]
NC bill would require special elections in some party-switchers’ districts. (Think Tricia Cotham)
The bill might as well be called the No More Cothams Act. Democrats from Mecklenburg County who voted for Rep. Tricia Cotham last year and say she betrayed them when she became a Republican are backing a bill that would force new elections in some party-switchers’ districts. A Senate bill filed this week inspired by […]
State lawmaker was angered by colleague’s racist comments, but chose to forgive
A white, Republican colleague’s question about whether Rep. Abe Jones was admitted to Harvard University in 1970 because he was a minority and a track athlete was only the second time the Wake County Democrat had experienced such an encounter. The first incident occurred several years ago during a party at UNC Chapel Hill when […]
Senate budget would take education funding to destructive new depths
“Fund students, not systems” has become the rallying cry of the country’s most extreme school choice zealots. It’s a silly motto for many reasons. Notably, private schools and public schools are both “systems,” and systems are necessary to efficiently provide students with high quality education serving the public good. Despite the motto’s obvious ridiculousness, it […]
Public School Forum leader: Senate budget proposal comes up woefully short
The State of North Carolina has money. In 2022, North Carolina had over $6 billion in unappropriated funds. This year, North Carolina is expected to have at least $3 billion more than budgeted in revenue. This is a significant surplus. And yet, the budget speeding through the Senate this week — a proposal based solely […]
Activists discuss the harm inadequate public schools funding causes educators, students
Inadequate school resources help to fuel the school-to-prison pipeline, says Letha Muhammad, co-executive director of the Raleigh-based Education Justice Alliance. The lack of school counselors, social workers and other school support staff and funding for restorative justice programs that provide alternatives to harsh discipline policies all help to feed students with discipline problems into the […]
Rep. Tricia Cotham touts school voucher expansion on national stage
In a recent op-ed for the conservative National Review that is both celebratory and defiant, Rep. Tricia Cotham, a Republican from Mecklenburg County, made a case for opening up the state’s school voucher program to the state’s wealthiest families. The North Carolina General Assembly is currently weighing bills that would allow any parent, regardless of […]
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 […]
Charter schools should join fight against state’s voucher program, say public education advocates
Charter school leaders should join traditional public schools advocates to oppose the Republican-led General Assembly’s move to expand the state’s school voucher program, says Christine Kushner, a former Wake County school board member. Kushner made her remarks during a recent panel discussion about the impact of charters on local school districts. The hour-long webinar was […]
Proponents of massive school privatization scheme owe us answers
If legislative leadership has their way, our public schools will be radically transformed by the 2023 legislative session. Bills targeting Black students and trans students threaten to make our schools increasingly hostile for many children. They are seeking to radically overhaul school funding in ways that harm rural students, students with disabilities, Black students, and […]