NC Board of Education sounds an alarm on vouchers and more in a letter to lawmakers | Opinion

The State Board of Education sent a four-page letter to all 170 members of the General Assembly that can be summarized in one word: Stop.

A letter sent Tuesday over the signature of Board of Education Chairman Eric Davis asks the Republican-led legislature to pause sweeping education bills that would reduce the funding and oversight of K-12 education and jeopardize academic standards.

The board’s letter adds a major voice to Gov. Roy Cooper’s opposition to proposed legislation that has created what he calls a “state of emergency” for North Carolina’s public schools.

The board’s letter warns most strongly against a legislative proposal to provide universal school vouchers for private school tuition. Making all students eligible for the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program will move students out of public schools and divert overall public school funding to an extent that could greatly harm rural school districts, the letter says. It refers to concerns raised by district superintendents in the 19 districts in the northeast portion of the state. Those districts could lose between 3 and 8 percent of their funding.

The letter says, “This expansion will most certainly redistribute tax dollars away from school districts already struggling to meet the needs of their current student membership. Furthermore, it is unlikely that the county governments have the means to make up for any shortfalls generated by this expansion.“

The letter asks legislators: “Please consider the impact that the expansion of this program will have on our public schools across the state and do not move forward with this expansion.”

Davis said Wednesday that lawmakers have acknowledged receiving the letter, but he has not received a direct response from Republican legislative leaders. The Republican response, however, is implicit in the fact that universal vouchers are being proposed with support from legislative leaders. They are not moved by the struggles of public schools. They think the best response is to provide alternatives by expanding school choice.

The State Board of Education consists of the lieutenant governor, the treasurer and 11 members appointed by the governor for eight-year, overlapping terms. The governor’s appointees are subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Davis said the letter reflects a summary of the board’s previous votes.

Notably absent from those questioning the expansion of vouchers is State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt, a Republican elected statewide. Truitt apparently prefers to work behind the scenes with Republican legislative leaders in hopes that she can get more accomplished for public schools by not directly challenging legislation.

But as the issues raised by the board’s letter make clear, the legislature is not listening to the concerns of educators and public school advocates. If she opposes what Republican lawmakers are doing to public schools, Truitt should say so. At this point, being discrete is being complicit.

The board’s letter also asks the legislature to reconsider a bill that would create a commission to recommend new academic standards, a move the board considers an intrusion into standard reviews now conducted by the Department of Public Instruction. The legislation reflects conservative lawmakers’ contention that social studies standards should stress the nation’s accomplishments and put less emphasis on the legacy of slavery and racism in the nation’s development.

The board’s letter requests that the state “retain the current approach which results in NC Standards written by NC educators.”

The letter also opposes a bill that would shift the board’s review of charter school applications to a new charter schools review board. The letter notes that 90 percent of charter school applications have been approved under the current system.

The State Board of Education has consistently advocated for more school funding and increases in teacher pay that would meet the state’s obligation to provide all children an opportunity for a sound basic education. Now its recommendations are turning to alarms. State lawmakers should listen. Those who don’t will next hear that alarm from voters in 2024.

This story was originally published June 14, 2023 at 12:36 PM with the headline "NC Board of Education sounds an alarm on vouchers and more in a letter to lawmakers | Opinion."