Brunswick Beacon, 08.17.23
Among U.S. states, North Carolina ranks 41st for public education funding per student. North Carolina ranks 34th for teacher pay and 46th for beginning teacher pay. North Carolina comes in dead last for % of state gross domestic product spent on education.
With Senate Bill 406, the North Carolina Senate now wants to expand the private school voucher program. Similar bills died this year in Idaho, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, and Kentucky. They died because of the disastrous consequences that would result. Roughly $200 million would be taken away from the public school system.
The superintendents of nineteen school districts across northeast North Carolina signed an open letter to legislators asking them to abandon the voucher expansion effort. The North Carolina Caucus of Black School Board Members passed its own resolution opposing the voucher expansion. A joint letter signed by numerous state education leaders was sent to the NC Senate stating that voucher expansion “not only undermines our public schools, but it also undermines our free and democratic society.”
Investigations of voucher data have shown that millions of taxpayer dollars vanish each year because oversight is lacking. Studies also show that voucher-funded private schools do not perform better academically.
Regardless of all the above, the misguided MAGA Republican backers of the voucher expansion program continue to push ahead. If you care about public education in North Carolina and want to strengthen it, please contact State Senator Bill Rabon (Bill.Rabon@ncleg.gov) and ask him to vote against Senate Bill 406, the voucher expansion program.
Nancy Briganti
Carolina Shores