The NC legislative session is really heating up this week, and we now have more clarity on which of the over 130 K12 education bills filed this session have retained momentum. The House also released part of its education budget proposal. This week, we take a closer look at how this budget stacks up with the other proposals so far, keeping a close eye on alignment with our Top Education Issues.
NC General Assembly Updates
Of the over 130 education-related bills filed this session at the NC General Assembly, a handful of them remain in consideration for this legislative session, including restrictions on cell phones and social media in schools, limits on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in schools, and some initiatives to address student mental health. Compensation conversations remain in limbo, as bills containing appropriations (like H192- Raise Teacher Pay & Allotment Study) are not subject to the crossover deadline. You can find full details on these and other bills in this article from EdNC.
NC House Releases Partial Education Budget Proposal
Just yesterday, the House’s education budget proposal was presented to the Education Appropriations Committee. There are a number of bright spots to note, including an increase in funding for Exceptional Children ($10 million) and increased funding for professional development to the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, or NCCAT ($1.8 million). It also expands access to the NC Teaching Fellows Program.
Other areas of alignment with the proposed Senate budget, indicating likely inclusion in the final budget proposal, include a provision that prohibits alternate school meals for students with meal debt and restrictions on cell phone use in class. The House proposal also requires instruction on social media and its effects on student mental health.
There were also, however, a number of proposed changes and cuts that would negatively impact our students. Among these are eliminated positions at the Department of Public Instruction and a repeal of the Future Teachers of North Carolina program. The budget also repeals the Economically Disadvantaged Public Schools Support Program, which allots additional funding to high-poverty, high-achieving schools, and replaces it with a similar program that only is available to charter schools. Finally, this proposal further reduces the already limited accountability measures for private schools receiving vouchers, with the removal of the requirement to report test scores to the NC State Education Assistance Authority.
The House Budget did not contain details on their proposal for teacher pay. We look forward to a more complete budget proposal early next week, and will be back in touch with more analysis.
Federal Private School Vouchers
There was more movement on the federal level this week, as well. Shortly following the President’s proposed “skinny budget,” House Republicans released their own budget reconciliation bill that would make sweeping changes to many programs and systems in the United States. Aside from large cuts to Medicaid, which funds a significant portion of public school-based health services, the proposal also includes federal private school voucher legislation.
While structured differently from our state taxpayer-funded private school voucher system in North Carolina (the Opportunity Scholarship Program), the intent of this proposal is the same: to provide government funding to families sending their kids to private and religious schools. These federal vouchers would be funded by tax donations, in the form of money or stock, with taxpayers receiving 100% of their contribution back in the form of a tax bill discount.
This program is not without opposition, and is not guaranteed to move forward. Critics have noted concerns, many of which are reflected in this study from the Brookings Institution: How the Educational Choice for Children Act would benefit the wealthy and underserve rural America.
Leave a Reply