December 14, 2024

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Another Veto Override: Legislators Fail to Prioritize Hurricane Relief

This week the NC House majority voted along party lines to override
Governor Cooper’s veto of [7]Senate Bill 382. Although the bill’s title
includes the words “disaster relief,” it contains no substantive relief for
Western North Carolina. Only $2 million of the $227 million earmarked in
the bill for disaster relief was allocated (for technical consulting for
soil and water districts) while the remaining $225 million is simply
shifted from one account to another and requires more legislative action
before it can be used.

Another $25 million was allocated for debris removal.

Incoming House leader Hall noted that [8]more than $900 million state
dollars have been allocated to hurricane relief since October. However,
that number pales in comparison to the [9]$53 BILLION estimated price tag
required for recovery.

Legislators may be particularly slow to move on hurricane relief because
future forecasts for state revenue are dimmed by upcoming tax cuts set by
the same legislators. Personal income and corporate income tax cuts
scheduled to go into effect in coming years will cost the state more than
[10]$13 billion by 2031. North Carolina’s corporate income tax, already the
lowest in the nation at 2.5%, is scheduled to drop to[11] 0% by 2030. These
cuts should be halted to ensure the investments needed in our state are
adequately funded.

While legislators who crafted SB 382 say they must wait for federal
hurricane relief funds to kick in before they commit more state dollars so
they don’t end up spending more than what's required to receive federal
matching funds, they didn’t hesitate to allocate hundreds of millions more
to private school voucher programs in November. The vouchers get more than
[12]$616 million this year alone and will receive nearly a billion every
year within a few years.

As Western North Carolina heads into winter, residents will likely feel
little comfort in the knowledge that millions of taxpayer dollars are
flowing to private, mostly religious schools in urban and suburban counties
far from their homes.

Report Shows NC at Bottom in Funding Level and Effort

Education Law Center's 2024 report [13]Making the Grade: How Fair is
Funding in Your State shows once again that North Carolina is doing much
less that it can to support public schools.

This comes no surprise to those following public education funding in the
state, but it is disappointing that North Carolina, a state that touts its
business-friendly environment, continues to neglect an essential foundation
of business success—an educated workforce. More than 80% of the state's
students attend public schools (traditional & charter), so continued
neglect jeopardizes our state's future at every level.

FUNDING LEVEL GRADE: F - Funding level is the per-pupil funding provided to
school districts from state and local sources. The measure is cost-adjusted
to account for cost-of-living differences across states. North Carolina is
#48 out of 51 (states + DC). All other Southeastern states rank higher;
only Arizona, Utah, and Idaho rank lower.

North Carolina’s per pupil funding is $4,868 lower than the national
average!

The "good" news is that in this year’s report, North Carolina lags behind
Mississippi by only $475 per student. Last year our state spent $669 less
per student than Mississippi, the poorest state in the nation.

FUNDING DISTRIBUTION GRADE: B - Funding distribution measures the extent to
which districts with high levels of poverty receive additional funds. North
Carolina is #12 out of 48 states in this category, a very respectable rank
with room to grow. This measure tells us that although overall public
education funding is terrible, the funding available to high and low
poverty districts is fairly even (i.e. equally bad).

FUNDING EFFORT GRADE: F - Funding effort measures the funding allocated to
support PK-12 education as a percentage of the state's wealth (GDP). North
Carolina is #49 out of 50 states. This means that although North Carolina
has enough money, it chooses not to spend it on education. North Carolina
spends just 2.08% of its wealth on education. Only Arizona spends less.
They spend 2.05%.

The state with the highest funding effort is Vermont. They spend 5.50% on
education. Vermont's GDP per capita is $53,483 and the state spends $25,627
per pupil (cost adjusted) each year.

In contrast, North Carolina's GDP per capita is $56,943, which is higher
than Vermont's. But we spend just $11,777 per pupil. In other words,
although Vermont isn't as rich as North Carolina, Vermont spends $13,850
more per student (cost adjusted) each year. That's more than double North
Carolina's financial commitment to our students!

North Carolina is better that this. Let's hold our legislators accountable!

Legislative and SBE Updates

The Senate and House have adjourned for the remainder of 2024. Both
chambers will convene in Raleigh on Wednesday, January 8 at noon.

The House voted along party lines to override Governor Cooper's veto of
[14]SB 382. The Senate's December 2 vote to override the veto means that
the bill will become law unless court challenges succeed.

Voucher Law Introduced at the Federal Level

Despite resounding rejection by voters of private school vouchers, U.S.
lawmakers are turning a blind eye to the will of the people and are seeking
to push through vouchers at a federal level.

The [15]Educational Choice for Children Act of 2024 would amend the federal
tax code to allow a type of voucher that doesn’t currently exist in North
Carolina—tax credit vouchers ([16]see our fact sheet).

You can read more about the bill in [17]What Is In The Federal School
Voucher Bill (Forbes), which includes questions and answers about the bill.
This one is noteworthy because it points out that the federal bill will
continue to allow discrimination by schools just as our North Carolina
voucher laws allow extensive discrimination.

Does the bill allow discrimination by schools?

It does. Following the pattern of [18]many state voucher programs, ECCA
specifically forbids any attempt by the government to control private
schools receiving voucher dollars, and forbids “imposition of any
conditions or requirements that would exclude or operate to exclude
educational expenses at private or religious” schools.

SGO’s are granted “maximum freedom” and granted “no government control.” It
is not clear what department, if any, would have oversight of the SGOs.

In Case You Missed It

[19]The politics of "school choice"

[20]Cooper praises progress, blasts school vouchers in education address in
Greensboro

[21]Truitt reflects on academic, financial challenges facing NC schools as
she prepares exit

[22]The cold truth about schools without heat

[23]Pandemic recovery: Where are North Carolina students lagging?

[24]Arizona grand jury indicts pair for alleged school voucher fraud

Send a Postcard to Your Legislator!

Do you want to send a message to legislators?

[25]Community Conversations has created festive holiday postcards to help
raise awareness and make it easy for you, your friends, family and
colleagues to reach out to state level officials about delivering on our
promise to the next generation.

You can help in the following ways:
* Write postcards to your officials then post either a picture of your
cards or a video of you reading them so your friends and family can learn
about Leandro. Please tag Community Conversations!
* Incorporate postcard writing as an activity for your holiday gathering
* Open your office/store front to serve as a location where people can
drop in and write a card at their convenience.
* Write your own postcards during breaks in your holiday festivities

You can check out their many designs at [26]WRITE YOUR REP! and either
print your own copies or order them online.

Mark Your Calendar for the Second Webinar on the Future of Public Education

What Do We Do Now? Money Matters More Than Ever So States Can Make the
Grade!

When: Monday, December 16, 4-5 p.m. ET

Who: Dr. Danielle Farrie, ELC Research Director, author of [27]Making the
Grade, Wendy Lecker, Esq., Senior Attorney, School Finance and Resource
Equity; Robert Kim, Esq., ELC Executive Director.

If the new federal administration adheres to the plans set out in Project
2025 they will dramatically reduce the role of the federal government in
public elementary and secondary education. Though states are responsible
for the vast majority of public school funding, a reduction and/or
loosening of oversight of the billions of dollars that the federal
government sends to states each year will have dramatic implications,
especially for the nation’s most vulnerable students

These threats make it more important than ever that states have adequate
and equitable school funding systems that support all students. Learn how
states are performing on ELC’s Making the Grade 2024, our annual report on
the condition of school finance across the country; get an update on the
state school finance litigation across the country; and learn how to push
back against harmful federal and state proposals that would undermine
advocates’ progress in reducing disparities and improving educational
opportunities.

[28]REGISTER HERE

Your Calendar for the Second Webinar on the Future of Public Education

There's nothing better than a good book to read over holiday breaks. Public
Schools First NC has a terrific selection of books we've featured over the
years in our webinars and conferences.

When you donate $50 or more to Public Schools First NC, we'll send you your
book choice.

Another great gift idea is a Public Schools First NC t-shirt. Wear it
yourself and give as gifts to show your public school pride!

[29]BUY BOOKS and [30]T-SHIRTS

Words to Remember

"That all citizens will be given an equal start through a sound education
is one of the most basic, promised rights of our democracy. Our chronic
refusal as a nation to guarantee that right for all children…. is rooted in
a kind of moral blindness, or at least a failure of moral imagination…. It
is a failure which threatens our future as a nation of citizens called to a
common purpose… tied to one another by a common bond."

— Senator Paul Wellstone

Help us support public schools!

Public Schools First NC is a statewide nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit
focused solely

on pre-K to 12 public education issues. We collaborate with parents,
teachers, business and civic leaders, and communities across North Carolina
to advocate for one unified system of public education that prepares each
child for productive citizenship.

[31]DONATE HERE

[32]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org

Questions? Contact us today at [email protected]

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