Helene presents leaders with an important choice on western NC schools | Opinion

As the tragedy facing Western North Carolina continues to unfold, our state faces a critical choice about its future. As public school educators, we know that challenging life events like divorce or the loss of a loved one can stunt a student’s learning, growth and happiness. Young people living in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s havoc will face immeasurable stress, as will the public school staff who love and serve them. In the coming months, our state’s elected leaders have the ability to relieve a great deal of that stress.

For years, members of the North Carolina Association of Educators have advocated for resources to remediate crumbling infrastructure in our schools across the state. From sweaty trailers, freezing classrooms, and libraries with mold, we have asked for those resources because our students deserve better. Our public schools are the centers of our communities.

Beyond the bonds we build at Friday night games and Saturday performances, our public schools serve as sites of refuge when things go wrong. Throughout our mountain region, we have seen neighbors gathering at public schools for showers, water and cell service. Educators have called through class rosters, offering support and love to students and their families. Public schools in counties around the state have already started to welcome displaced families into their communities. Schools keep more of us connected on a regular basis than any other institution in our community. A storm won’t change that.

This storm will, however, create a moment of choice for our elected leaders. We can keep neglecting our constitutionally-guaranteed public schools, or we can prioritize safe and stable public schools as we rebuild for the future.

We can start by protecting our public school employees. They need their pay, leave and benefits until it is safe to go back to work. They should be able to focus on rebuilding and supporting their families through this trauma, not stress over finances.

School districts should have what they need too. As we did during COVID, we can keep funding schools as their student populations fluctuate. Thousands of students will be displaced, and some will bounce from county to county as their families seek stability. Public schools, as the most stable institutions in our communities, need resources for the long haul. They need to be ready to welcome our kids home.

We also need the resources to help them thrive. Too many students and staff have been dealing with substandard schools. To serve as stable centers of our communities, we need modern, safe and sturdy schools that can withstand the kinds of disasters that Eastern North Carolina families have been accustomed to. Rebuilding schools with updated infrastructure, in and out of the current disaster area, keeps our kids and communities safer and invests in the future of our state. Legislative action can also provide free student meals.

Before Helene, the General Assembly was considering giving away more than $400 million of public tax dollars this year, and more than $4 billion over the decade, to private school vouchers. Those vouchers cannot be the priority right now. Instead, let’s allocate those same resources to relief, rebuilding and resourcing safe and stable public schools as the center of Western North Carolina communities.

Every day, our students and staff accomplish incredible things in public schools across the state. In the coming months, many public school communities will accomplish more than they ever imagined. Not only will they serve every student, regardless of background, ability, or income, public schools will also keep our communities safe, our families fed, and all of our lives a little more stable. Our kids deserve a strong and resilient state—let’s rebuild Western North Carolina with a recognition that our public schools are at the heart of what makes that possible.

This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 11:17 AM.