Losing the Most Important School Supply—Food

Now more than ever, the most important school supply—food—is at risk for hundreds of thousands of NC’s students. On November 1, more than 1.4 million people in the state are set to lose critical food support provided through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a result of the continuing federal government shutdown.

NOTE: On Friday, October 31, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to continue SNAP payments during the government shutdown. It is unclear whether payments will continue without interruption.

As of October 12, there are more than 582,000 children in North Carolina who rely on SNAP.

Every child needs enough food to be healthy and alert so they can do well in school. Educators know that hungry students struggle to learn; children who have access to healthy meals at home and at school are better equipped to learn and grow.

From 3% to 32% of the families in every county rely on SNAP benefits, which help low-income families buy groceries. Four out of every 5 families receiving benefits have either a child, a senior, or an adult with a disability living in the household. SNAP benefits are often used to provide food support when low-wage jobs leave families with too little income to pay for food as well as other expenses such as rent, medicine, clothing, and transportation.

Between 2019 and 2023, an average of 80% of SNAP households in NC included someone who was working. SNAP has work requirements for recipients ages 16 through 59.

In North Carolina, the minimum wage—set by state lawmakers—is just $7.25/hour. For employees who receive tips, the minimum wage is even lower. Employers are legally allowed to pay as little as $2.13/hour to tipped employees as long as the employee receives enough in tips to make up the difference between the wages paid and $7.25.

Robeson County has the highest percentage of SNAP recipients (32%) with about 38,000 people relying on the program. In more populous Mecklenburg County, 130,000 residents rely on SNAP, making up 11% of the county’s population.

The loss of SNAP benefits will increase food insecurity across every county in North Carolina, leaving our most vulnerable students without a source of stable, nutritious food.

On October 28, NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined 24 other states in a suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget, arguing that the agency should use the $6 billion it has in emergency funds to keep SNAP going during the shutdown. The October 31 ruling by a federal judge ordering the administration to continue SNAP payments was a result of this multi-state suit.

On September 30, the USDA shared its Lapse of Funding Plan assuring states that no lapse in SNAP operations would occur. The Office Management of Budget’s legal experts had provided a letter to the USDA stating that “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown.”

However, on October 24, states received a new memo from the USDA reversing the earlier guidance and directing states to end all SNAP payments on November 1. The new memo also stated that if states choose to make SNAP funds available by using state dollars, the state will not be reimbursed after the shutdown ends.

The multi-state lawsuit is in response to this recent memo by the USDA to end all SNAP funding during the shutdown.

In states across the nation, lawmakers have taken steps to help address the SNAP funding halt. For example, Louisiana lawmakers authorized $150 million in state funding to make sure the state's SNAP recipients receive their full benefit amount.

New Mexico held a two-day special legislative session to take measures to bolster food banks/pantries and allocated $17.5 million to SNAP-related costs to offset pending cuts. New Mexico’s state House Speaker said lawmakers are willing to approve more funds because “children going without basic food staples is an emergency.”

Virginia announced a substitute program that will send state funds to SNAP recipients' benefits cards during November.

North Carolina’s lawmakers have not been proactive in addressing the looming SNAP cuts, but Governor Stein announced on Thursday that his office and a group of donors will be sending $18 million to food banks across the state. Compared to the $230-$250 million in federal benefits distributed each month, the $18 million won’t go far, but it is a start.

We can help fill the gaps by collecting food for our local food banks. We can help stock mini free pantries in our communities (or even start one if there isn’t one near you).

We need our lawmakers to take action. Please contact state and federal lawmakers to urge them to take action.

US lawmakers can pressure the USDA and the administration to release SNAP emergency funds. They can also take action to end the federal shutdown. Write an email to your US Congress members here.

State lawmakers can allocate funds to fill gaps in the federal SNAP funding. Write an email to your state lawmakers here.

More Test Score Complexity Revealed

All teachers, parents, administrators and anyone else involved in student testing know that a student's test score often reflects more than the content being tested.

That's one of the reasons why all responsible test publishers caution against using test scores for purposes other than the intended use that drove test development (e.g., don't use student achievement tests to evaluate teachers) and to always consider multiple sources of information when making high stakes decisions.

Numerous factors may affect a student's test performance on any given day. A skipped breakfast, fight with a friend, encounter with a bully, or family conflicts are just a few factors that may be unique to each student. Schoolwide factors also play a role. Disruptions such as a fire or active shooter drill may have lingering effects on students days after the event.

A new research brief published by the Northwest Education Association (NWEA) adds a new factor: the weather. Their study of more than three million testing events across three years and six states found that hotter days produced significantly lower math test scores, especially in high-poverty schools where cooling systems may be less reliable.

The negative impacts due to hotter temperatures applied only to math. Reading scores remained fairly steady.

The NWEA findings point to broader implications for schools whose budgets have been stretched so thin that they haven’t been able to keep up with HVAC maintenance. Researchers found the largest effects for days hotter than 80℉, but that relative temperatures mattered too. In cooler climates, when the temperature rose 20℉ to 30℉ above average, they found a small but significant drop in math test scores.

Although significant math test score decreases were found across high and low poverty schools, the negative effect was much more pronounced in high-poverty schools. Researchers stated that “students in high poverty schools may be more vulnerable to the effect of extreme heat drop on math performance. These differences may not reflect lower learning itself, but rather the environment in which tests are taken. In schools without reliable cooling, heat can depress scores and mask students’ true achievement, suggesting that some apparent gaps in performance may stem from unequal testing conditions rather than unequal ability.”

In North Carolina, districts have already lost learning time as a result of insufficient funding to keep up with needed HVAC repairs.

The NWEA study is a reminder that when evaluating test scores, we should consider the many factors that contribute to how well students perform on a test on any given day.

The federal government announced cuts that effectively eliminate the office in charge of special education and is preparing to move special education to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

These mass layoffs remove the staff who make sure the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is followed, risk massive disruption to delivery of funds and services, and mean that the rights of children with disabilities are in serious jeopardy.

Next steps are likely to turn IDEA funds into block grants to states, removing federal oversight, weakening protections, and paving the way for privatization. Block grants have historically led to funding cuts and profiteering as states give funds to private companies.

Special education is already severely underfunded; our schools don’t have what they need to meet children’s needs. Eliminating the federal guardrails on these precious funds will make the situation worse.

Contact your US lawmakers and urge them to save special education. You can use our email template here.

Early voting in local elections for 2025 continues through TODAY (November 1) at 3:00.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.

Local elections are critically important to communities, so make sure to take the time to research candidates and vote this year.

Are you registered? Find out here.

If you’re not registered yet, you can register during the early voting today. Check to make sure you have all of the required documents before you go.

Check here for the list of offices up for election (you can search by county), early voting sites, and answers to all of your election questions.

You can also get personalized ballot (by address) and voting information at the LWV website.

As National Principals Month comes to a close, North Carolina's 2025 Wells Fargo Principal of the Year Jason M. Johnson released a letter to principals across the state.

As National Principals Month comes to a close, I want to take a moment to personally thank you for all that you do and for all that you continue to do, often without recognition.

As you know, the principalship can be a lonely calling. You may have a team of assistant principals, one assistant principal, or perhaps none at all, but at the end of the day, the weight of the building rests on your shoulders. Few truly understand what you experience, what you carry, and what you sacrifice to lead your school community forward.

Most people only see what happens on the surface. They see the hallway walk-throughs, the classroom visits, the assemblies, the ball games, the concerts, and the board meetings. They see you standing tall, smiling, and steady. What they do not see are the quiet moments behind the scenes, the late nights, the difficult decisions, the phone calls that keep you up, and the personal sacrifices that come with leading a school. Unless someone has sat in that seat, they cannot truly understand what it demands of you.

So this letter is to say thank you in the most honest and authentic way I can.

READ MORE

November is National Native American Heritage Month, a month designated to honor the remarkable Native Americans who have contributed to our nation.

George H.W. Bush established the National Native American Month in 1990 following years of state-level recognitions and week-long commemorations. It is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to be recognized. This month is a focused time to spread awareness about tribes and to educate people about the various challenges faced by the Native Americans in the past and today.

Our webinar with Diane Ravitch is now available on our YouTube video channel.

Dr. Diane Ravitch joined PSFNC to discuss her new book, An Education: How I Changed My Mind About Schools and Almost Everything Else. In her wide-ranging comments, she described what motivated her to write the book, how she evolved from being a conservative leader in the school choice movement to a fierce defender and proponent of public schools, and much more.

Watch the webinar here.

If you donate $50 to Public Schools First NC (it's tax-deductible) and select Ravitch's book, we will send you a copy!

DONATE HERE

Losing the Most Important School Supply—Food

More Test Score Complexity Revealed

Legislative and SBE Updates

Federal Cuts Jeopardize Special Education

Remember to VOTE!

Thank You, NC Principals!

November is Native American Heritage Month

In Case You Missed It

Did You Know?

Did You Miss Our Webinar?

Words to Remember

Help us support public schools!