January 18, 2025

[1]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org
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Unfinished Work: Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr., and thousands of other Americans fought long and
hard to move our nation toward a more equitable, just, and fair society.
Since Dr. King’s death in 1968, tremendous gains have been made in civil
rights for many groups who had been held back by bigotry (especially
racism) and nefarious laws for centuries. Our national holiday to honor the
life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is always a good time to revisit where
we are.

During Dr. King’s lifetime, he saw the U.S. Supreme Court rule in Brown v.
Board of Education that school segregation based on race was
unconstitutional. But Dr. King also saw private segregation academies
emerge across the south as a response to that monumental Supreme Court
decision.

If he were alive today, Dr. King would find himself in familiar territory.
The school integration gains of the 1970s and 1980s have been[7] eroding
for decades as insidious tactics are used to dismantle support for public
education and push parents toward private schools.

Although the segregation academies were also declared unconstitutional,
today we’re seeing the rise of segregated schools fueled by state-funded
voucher programs.[8] ProPublica recently focused on North Carolina’s
voucher program’s role in supporting schools that started during the
segregation academy era.

For example, in Northampton County, [9]Northeast Academy, a private
Christian school founded in 1966, the student population is nearly 99%
white even though the county population is about 40% Black. It has received
nearly $2 million in state funding through the Opportunity Scholarship
voucher program.

Neighboring Bertie County is home to [10]Lawrence Academy, opened in 1968
as part of the segregation academy surge. Its student population is more
than 95% white in a county that is about 60% Black. The state has funded it
to the tune of about $1.5 million through vouchers over the years.

[11]ProPublica compiled data to examine demographics for private and public
schools across the nation. The results show visually how these private
schools—supported by state dollars—are still essentially segregation
academies.

Instead of using state dollars to fund private, discriminatory,
unaccountable schools, the North Carolina General Assembly should revisit
its obligation to support programs that benefit the whole state.

Researchers have provided ample evidence for the benefits of integrated
schools to all children (see, for example, [12]Children of the Dream: Why
School Integration Works). These include increased economic and social
mobility as students are exposed to a wider variety of opportunities and
the resources to attain educational goals. The educational benefits
directly improve the economic outlook for individuals and the communities
in which they live. In short, integration benefits all of society in both
indirect and direct ways.

As we celebrate the vision and legacy of Dr. King, let's renew our
commitment to the fight for high-quality, free, and integrated schools for
ALL students.

For a deep dive into school segregation with a focus on NC, see our
[13]Issues/School Diversity page.

Public Schools First NC has created a video series on NC's History of
School Diversity to showcase key elements of our state's history. You can
access them on our YouTube channel:
* [14]Part 1: Slavery Era (1776 - 1865)
* [15]Part 2: Segregation Era (1965 - 1954)
* [16]Part 3: Integration Era (1954 - 1988)
* [17]Part 4: Resegregation (1988 - Present)

Vouchers: Next Step to Dismantle Schools

By Kris Nordstrom, Senior Policy Analyst, NC Justice Center

If your goal was to dismantle North Carolina’s public school system, how
would you do it?

Would you starve schools of resources?

Real per-student state funding is down 3.8 percent from 2009. North
Carolina’s school funding effort (education spending as a share of our
state economy) has fallen from 42nd in 2008 to 49th in 2022. If we made
just the average funding effort that year, school funding would have been
$6.5 billion higher, 43 percent above actual levels.

Would you make the teaching profession as unpleasant as possible?

North Carolina’s starting teacher pay is the worst in the Southeast. In
real terms, it’s 7% lower than it was in 2011. Since the 2011 change in
General Assembly leadership, North Carolina’s average teacher pay has gone
from being 19% below the national average to 23% today. Legislators have
taken away career status, master’s pay, funding for National Board
Certification applications, longevity pay, and retiree health benefits. Is
it any wonder that teacher vacancies have reached [18]record levels?

Would you create an accountability system that unfairly stigmatizes schools
as failing?

Currently, public schools are labeled with an A-F letter grade. These
grades are [19]highly correlated with student demographics. Further, they
fail to help families identify where great teaching and learning are
happening. To date, legislators have not used these grades to direct
resources to or otherwise help so-called “failing” schools. Nor have they
applied this grading system to the private schools accepting state voucher
funding. Rather than helping families or students, the grading system
stigmatizes public schools to undermine trust and feed a false narrative
about their effectiveness.

Would you participate in bigoted moral panics directed at students of color
and LGBTQ students?

[20]READ MORE

Legislative and SBE Updates

The 2025 legislative long session started on January 8 with swearing in
ceremonies and the election of new leaders. Members return on January 29.
Keep an eye on their [21]calendar for updates.

Stop Federally Funded Vouchers!

The[22] Education Choice for Children program is a voucher proposal that
would redirect $10 billion per year of federal taxpayer dollars to fund
private school vouchers. Individuals and corporations would receive a
dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donating to scholarship granting
organizations (SGOs) that provide private school vouchers to students. This
proposal has been introduced in Congress as the “Education Choice for
Children Act.” There are a number of flaws with this legislation.
* It creates a federally funded private school voucher program
* It undermines public schools
* It incentivizes private school voucher programs above donations to
traditional charitable programs and organizations
* It allows for broad, unaccountable use of taxpayer funds
* It enables taxpayer-funded discrimination and strips students of rights
* Private school vouchers do not improve academic achievement

[23]READ MORE about the ECCA.

The bill is currently in the U.S. House of Representatives for
consideration. Contact your U.S. Rep. and urge them to reject this harmful
bill!

In Case You Missed It

[24]5 Things to Know: Surprising Facts about Martin Luther King, Jr.

[25]The 24th annual African American Cultural Celebration Education Day is
being held January 24. It features many virtual programs for students!

[26]NC student data compromised in breach, NC and PowerSchool say

[27]'Tough decisions.' Why Mecklenburg County's revenue may not keep up
with CMS needs

[28]60,000 voters are challenged in NC Supreme Court race. How to learn if
you're on the list.

[29]GOP Judge Jefferson Griffin's election case targets people who voted
early

[30]U.S. Secretary of Education Cardona: Public Education is Worth Fighting
For

[31]Gov. Bill Lee (TN) calls special session on school vouchers, disaster
relief

Did You Know?

In Bertie County 22% of the students in the county attended private school
in 2021-22 and 97% of them were white.

In 15 counties, ZERO PERCENT of the students attended private school in
2021-22. Note that in some cases the zero percent might not mean zero
students. It just means too few students to reach 1% of the county's
student population.

Using the most recent data available (2021-22) Public Funds Public Schools
[32]compiled data on private school enrollment schools across the nation.
You can search by state and county to see trends.

Don't Miss Our Webinar

February 6 (Th), 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Rachel White (University of Texas at
Austin) and Dr. Rebecca Jacobsen (Michigan State University). Both
researchers will share their recent work: Dr. White’s study “The Cost of
Conflict,” and Dr. Jacobsen’s upcoming book “The Politics of Disruption.”

Their work details how much the politics of disruption are costing public
schools and how the disruption is negatively impacting school boards and
eroding community trust. The consequences of our school/education wars are
real. Finding ways to resolve conflicts and work together to protect and
strengthen our public schools are essential if we want to provide all
children a high-quality, free and inclusive public education. There will be
time allotted for questions and answers. [33]REGISTER HERE

Mark Your Calendar

Multiple Dates, 7:00-8:30 pm: Resilience and ACES. Learn about Adverse
Childhood Experiences (ACES) and resilience. Join us for this
award-winning, 60-minute film, Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The
Science of Hope. This documentary examines how abuse, neglect, and other
adverse childhood experiences affect children’s development & health
outcomes in adulthood. This powerful movie is a conversation starter and a
perspective changer.

[34]REGISTER HERE

All screenings are on Thursday and include time for discussion. Invite a
friend and contact us about setting up a private screening for your school
staff, PTA, civic group, church, or synagogue.
* January 23
* February 26
* March 27
* April 24

Request A Speaker!

Need a speaker for your next event or group meeting? PSFNC welcomes the
opportunity to speak to your group or organization on public
education-related topics.

We offer our programs virtually to improve accessibility and attendance and
therefore extend your reach. Our services are free of charge but may
require travel-related expenses if the program is in-person.

Email us at [email protected] for more information.

Words to Remember

"When done correctly, public schools are one of the only public
institutions that foster cross-racial and cross-class solidarity. Such
solidarity threatens existing hierarchies."

— Kris Nordstrom, Vouchers: Next Step to Dismantle Public Schools

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.

[35]DONATE HERE

[36]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org

Questions? Contact us today at [email protected]

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