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** A NOTE FROM JOY
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Friends,
Imagine this.
It’s the first day of school and North Carolina’s kids are pumped to return to class. Every child walks into a bright classroom led by an excellent teacher who knows their name and story. Shelves are stocked with supplies. Buses run on time. The cafeteria is serving healthy food. Parents and caregivers feel confident their kids are safe and will get the support they need to thrive.
For decades, North Carolina leaders worked to make this vision a reality.
Starting in the 1970s, a bipartisan coalition of governors, legislators, educators, parents and leaders in business and philanthropy united behind a bold effort to invest in our local public schools.
The results? By 2000, NC ranked in the top 20 states ([link removed]) for teacher pay, and student achievement was rising faster ([link removed]) than in any other state.
The lesson is clear: when we invest in NC's public schools, our children — and our state — succeed.
But in the last 15 years, we’ve slipped backwards ([link removed]) . Today, North Carolina ranks 48th in per-student funding ([link removed]) and 43rd in teacher pay ([link removed]) . Districts across the state, including in ZSR’s hometown of Winston-Salem, face budget crises. Teachers pay thousands of dollars ([link removed]) out of their own pockets for supplies.
Meanwhile, instead of fully funding public schools that serve every child, NC’s leaders recently chose to expand a voucher program that uses taxpayer dollars to subsidize wealthy families’ tuition ([link removed]) to private schools that can discriminate against students based on religion, disability status, or academic achievement.
Our children are paying the price for choices our leaders have made.
Public education is the foundation of North Carolina’s future, and it’s time to invest in it. We’ve done it before. We can do it again.
All For NC,
Joy Vermillion Heinsohn
ZSR Executive Director
** GET INSPIRED
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Stories of hope and action
from our partners across NC
The NC Local News Lab Fund announced $900,000 in new grants ([link removed]) to 12 local news and community organizations. As federal funding gets cut, policies change and emergencies strike, all North Carolinians need information we can trust and use to navigate our changing environment. These grants will help ensure more people across NC have access to high-quality local news and information.
The Coharie Intra-Tribe Council commemorated a new community mural ([link removed]) that celebrates the Tribe’s storytelling tradition. As part of this inclusive public art project ([link removed]) , tribal elders contributed oral histories on topics including segregation and integration, veteran affairs, cultural traditions and the spiritual significance of the Great Coharie River. This work helps ensure Coharie stories are honored and preserved for future generations.
After Hurricane Helene, legal aid nonprofits like Pisgah Legal Services helped secure millions in insurance funds for people in western NC. But last month, North Carolina legislators froze IOLTA ([link removed]) , or Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts, a program that provides critical funding for legal aid nonprofits. While advocates push to restore IOLTA funding, nonprofits will operate with limited resources to provide legal aid services to North Carolinians — a lifeline for recovery in western NC and beyond.
The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s State Energy Office, in collaboration with NC Sustainable Energy Association and other nonprofit partners, launched the Clean Energy Microgrid Initiative this month ([link removed]) . The $5 million program, which draws on funding NC received from the 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, will create permanent and mobile microgrids that will provide accessible power in the wake of future climate and weather disasters.
After six years in a North Carolina hospital, 19-year-old Alexis Ratcliff finally moved into her own home — a milestone made possible by her persistence, advocates at Disability Rights NC and protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Her journey highlights ([link removed]) the barriers disabled North Carolinians face, the transformative impact of collective action and the importance of policies and systems that ensure everyone can live with dignity and lead a fulfilling life.
A school bus parked at Pitt County Office Park is actually a mobile work of art and storytelling platform. Created by artist Sally Jacobs with the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina (AMEXCAN), the bus showcases films, recordings, and portraits ([link removed]) that honor migrant farm workers’ lives and labor. The project has become a driving factor for community initiatives, from food collections to school tours, while elevating the voices of migrant farm workers across the state.
“We will see them in court.” This was the response ([link removed]) from the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) after the federal government announced the cancellation of Solar for All, a program slated to inject $156 million into NC to expand solar energy access. The funds were approved in April 2024, and NC Clean Energy Fund and other coalition members spent more than a year shaping ([link removed]) how the program would lower energy costs and support NC’s transition to clean energy. SELC’s response highlights how advocacy and litigation are critical to defending a more equitable and sustainable future for all North Carolinians.
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Copyright (C) 2025 Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation sends periodic updates, funding opportunities, and regular newsletters to people who have opted in via our website, participated in our programs or events, or applied for a grant.
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