News

Budget Status According to the latest General Fund Revenue Forecast, North Carolina has an estimated $987 million revenue surplus for the 2024-25 fiscal year. At this time, the North Carolina House and Senate have each passed their own updated budget bills for the second year of the 2023-25 biennium. Leaders from both chambers of the […]

Decisions about education are some of the most important decisions families – and therefore state leaders – make. Just as parents consider the many school choices available in North Carolina, lawmakers are making choices about where to put our taxpayer dollars to yield the best outcomes for our children. Families across North Carolina want public […]

Historical Context North Carolina’s traditional public schools are represented by 115 county and city school districts. For almost 100 years since the Great Depression and the Machinery Acts of 1931 and 1933, the State of North Carolina has provided the preponderance of financial support for most of the public school employees in these school districts. […]

On May 23 the University of North Carolina System Board of Trustees voted to repeal its Diversity & Inclusion Policy in favor of “institutional neutrality.” This new policy, which was introduced in April, will remove funding for DEI offices and eliminate various diversity-related positions across the 17 UNC System schools. Chancellors will be required to […]

In 1993 Robeson County residents had a median income of approximately $21,000. Respectively, in 2022, residents of Robeson County, NC had a median income of approximately $35,000. This is the county I grew up in and this county remains one one of North Carolina’s poorest counties. Early in my life I understood the value of […]

This week – April 22nd through 26th – marks Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week, a time to recognize, appreciate, and advocate for those who work with children and youth in diverse school and community-based settings during out-of-school hours. These dedicated, skilled professionals do the hard work of creating safe and structured environments and relationships for students […]

NC Has a Surplus The Office of State Budget Management recently announced that North Carolina likely will have a $1 billion surplus over the initial revenue expected for the second year of the biennium budget (2024-25). This is certainly good news given the many needs across the state.  What Will the Surplus Mean for Education? […]

SNL Weekend Update joked recently that the menu on the Titanic – the infamous, ill-fated luxury  ocean liner – included not only gourmet foods, but also ‘bottomless water’! Perhaps innocent joking  about it has become acceptable.  And yet, this preventable tragedy was no joke. The most fundamental lesson is that there’s no such thing as […]