Alanna Joyner
Almost four months into the new fiscal year, a compromised state budget may be passed in the coming days. With final negotiations on the horizon, Republican leaders have another opportunity to fully implement the Leandro plan for improving public education into the final state budget. The historical investments towards public schools would undo the state’s…
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This week, the Wake County Board of Commissioners and Raleigh City Council unanimously approved a nondiscrimination ordinance that would establish protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, natural hairstyle and more. The expansion of protections marks Wake County and Raleigh as the 14th and 15th local government to pass a nondiscrimination ordinance. The…
Read MoreOn Monday, Superior Court Judge David Lee signaled that he’s ready to formally demand legislators to fund a remedial plan that will ensure students across the state have the opportunity for a sound basic education. The state’s landmark school funding case has been delayed until Nov. 8 — giving time for attorneys representing underfunded school…
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More than three months into fiscal 2021-22 year, North Carolina is awaiting a state budget. As private negotiations are happening with legislature leaders and Governor Roy Cooper’s administration, long-standing needs are continuing to go unmet, and by the looks of the House and Senate budgets prior to talks, North Carolinians may continue to be forgotten. …
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Ahead of the court ordered deadline, House Democrats and education advocates urged leaders of the Republican-controlled General Assembly to implement the Leandro plan for improving public education into the final state budget. With budget negotiations continuing, Republicans have another opportunity to meet the state’s constitutional obligation in ensuring every child has access to a sound,…
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In the few days since it’s launch, the T.R.U.E portal has received over 150 comments from educators, students and parents across the state. Testimonials ranging from teacher assistants filling in for bus drivers, no doors in classrooms to teachers overworking past school hours. An educator having to teach 27 students packed into a dirty little…
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On Tuesday, the Wake County Board of Education approved a resolution urging North Carolina lawmakers to fund the more than $5.6 billion education plan ordered by a state court. The board’s decision adds to a growing list of officials and boards pushing for the Republican-led legislation to comply with meeting its constitutional obligation to ensure…
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Today, Progress NC Action launched the True Reporting of Underfunding Education (T.R.U.E.) Portal, a website for parents, educators, and community leaders to submit testimonies of challenges facing our cash-strapped schools. For years, the Republican-led legislature has systematically violated the constitutional rights of children across the state by failing to provide a sound basic education as…
Read MoreThe message amplified on Tuesday by Gov. Roy Cooper and the state Commission on a Sound Basic Education mirrored the court order laid out by a Superior Court Judge; the state must fully implement the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan. While several school districts are experiencing staff shortages, failing air conditioners, undrinkable water, crumbling buildings and…
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With eight out of the 13 public hearings on redistricting completed, North Carolinians are sending a strong message to legislators, particularly Republicans; we need a fair, inclusive and transparent redistricting process. Historically, Republicans have consolidated power through voter suppression laws and gerrymandering — making it difficult for Black and Brown North Carolinians to cast their…
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