Republican leaders in North Carolina have a problem. People are beginning to understand that dismantling public education is an important part of their agenda.
And that is not a popular position. People still believe in public schools, despite years of misleading but well-funded attacks on them by the think tanks on the Right in Raleigh and Washington.
The General Assembly has provided ample evidence of the disdain for public education this session. The budget fired teachers and teacher assistants, slashed funding for textbooks and supplies and locked thousands of at-risk kids out of nationally recognized preschool programs.
Funding for mentoring and professional development for teachers was drastically cut. Support for the N.C. Teaching Fellows was abolished.
The overall cuts dropped North Carolina to 49th in the nation in per pupil spending. Funding for public schools as a percentage of the state’s General Fund is the lowest in more than 40 years.
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger responded to criticism of the budget last summer by claiming that Republicans reformed education.
But disinvesting in education is not reform. It is a damaging blow to a system already struggling with a shortage of resources that makes it difficult for teachers to do their jobs.
And while it’s tough for Republicans to dance around their disinvestment in schools, that’s not their only problem in their appeal to voters.
They just don’t want to cut funding, they want to destroy traditional public education. And that’s not hyperbole.
House Speaker Thom Tillis confirmed it at a recent town hall in Asheboro. Here’s how Tillis responded to a question about teachers and public schools.
“I understand that Majority Leader Stam has said that his goal would be to ultimately eliminate public schools and I categorically disagree with that for a variety of reasons. Right now with him being Majority Leader and me being Speaker, I like my chances.”
Bizarre as it is, that’s Tillis actually confirming that the elected Majority Leader of the Republican House wants to eliminate public schools.
Stam introduced a voucher scheme last year that he promises to revisit next session.
And Tillis has more than Stam to explain. The Republican majorities in the House and Senate not only lifted the cap on charter schools, they voted to allow for-profit companies to set up virtual charters in North Carolina.
The Cabarrus County Board of Education recently voted to approve a virtual charter school run by K-12, Inc. An audit of K-12’s virtual charter in Colorado found the state paid $800,000 to the company for students who never enrolled or lived out of state.
That’s a funny way to show support for traditional public schools, to give taxpayer money to for-profit corporations to educate kids online with little or no accountability.
Republicans don’t really seem to have any second thoughts about their deep cuts to education or giving public school money to private corporations. It’s more than a plan, it’s fulfilling a deeply held philosophy.
Their only worry is that the public figures out what they are doing. That’s why you can expect more disclaimers and flowery speeches from Tillis and his colleagues about much they really do support public schools.
But nobody’s buying it. Their record is disturbingly clear.
I read this article in The Franklin Times this week. It was written by Chris Fitzsimon of NC Policy Watch. I sent it to Phil Hart to post on the website so that all who do not get that paper could read it. It also is listed on this link. http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2012/02/07/the-republicans-education-problem/
Thanks The Brakeman, happy to post it.
Sounds just like something Chris Fitzsimon would write. More typical villification of conservatives and Republicans and a case study for how divisive the Democrat party is. This is America and if parents want to send their children to private or charter schools, that is their right. Maybe they want their kids to go to school where discipline and dress code standards are very high, where the kids are pushed to achieve and not told that they can’t do the work others can because of their race or they are poor so the standards are lowered (what an insult and the ultimate racism!), where parents are expected to feed and teach their kids respect and good behavior before they come to school, where parents don’t have to worry about federally mandated sex ed courses that the schools have to put in place as a requirement to get those federal dollars…..But the public school system does not want to make any changes, no merit pay for exceptional teachers, no uniforms, no striving for the highest standards like the new charter school does, just dump more money and have no accountability to the tax payers and businesses that are footing the bill for it all. Why not take a look at what the charter and private schools are doing and why they are having so much success and stop playing the race card saying they get all the unexceptional kids to teach and that is why they can’t have high expectations and have high drop out and low test scores. Make the parents and children work hard, they are getting a “free” education and it should not be taken for granted. And Fitzsimon forgot to mention that Republicans want to see public school children starved and beaten every day! Come on Chris and Brakeman, everyone isn’t falling for the “Republicans are evil devil spawn and Democrats are the angels of mercy” lines any more. Voters see that the years of liberal social programs have destroyed the American family and public school systems along with individual pride and responsability. Scare tactics don’t work any more.
Dagny….I have a problems with several things here and here it goes:
#1 – Democrats are always what they have said to be….period….They have never professed to be Evengelical Christians. They just profess to be compassionate towards the the working class and underprivileged and fair to all. Republicans categorize themselves with Evangelical Christians, and the past 12 years have shown far from that. Newt Gingrich was chasing mistresses the whole time he was trying to have Bill Clinton prosecuted for similar behavior. George ‘W.hiskey’ Bush pretty much had to dismiss or lock up all of his buddies for corruptive practice or bad ethics during his term in office. Now Republicans have to explain why they allowed Mitt Romney to join their party when he is not an Evangelical Christian. Mitt is ‘Mormon’ which is a cult faith. Republicans can’t make up their mind what they are now. Too many of their power houses are not showing fruits of Christian Labor…just money and power. Their campaign is not working any longer.
#2 – Charter Schools do not have to follow the same rules as Public Schools. I know that for a fact because I have family working in both places. They can hand pick their kids from a select pile, and leave out anyone else. They get to take away Public School Bus money and they do not even offer every kid a trip on a school buses. They take away Vocational Education money..and they do not teach Carpentry, Home Ecomonics, Brick Masonry, Electricity, Welding, Etc. They also take away Special Education Funds and they do not teach, Blind, Retarded, Mentally ill or Chronically ill children, but Public Schools are required by law to teach all of the above. Charter Schools can take public schools money and simply tell applicants….”We don’t offer those services here…you need to take them to public schools.”
I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with Republicans on this issue here. It is simply not right to turn your back on the poor and needy and say ‘The Hell With Them’ Jesus taught us in the Bible that ‘The Poor You Will Always Have’ He also taught us that it is a sin to ask a poor person to sit at your feet and invite the classy to sit by your side…that is called ‘Sin of Partiality’
Until I see more fairness from Republicans on these issues…I’ll simply vote Democrat at State Level for the good of our Students, Teachers, and Parents.
Brakeman,
Your #1 paragraph is further proof about how blindly judgemental and not interested in discussing the facts about the original editorial (about republicans and public education) that you felt was so important to get posted. Just like Fitzsimon does, you just want to make wild swings, grouping Republicans together and labeling them, none of whom could ever be the perfect kind of Christian you so obviously are………….but let’s stay on topic.
#2) Charter schools admit children by lottery. I know many families waiting to get into charter schools. If you have proof that children are admitted by any other way, you should reveal that. You also use the word money 3 times and that is the truth about what it all comes down to for you and Fitzsimons. You are not interested in talking about merit pay for teachers or high expectations for students and parents because school success and failure is only about money.
In your mind, Charter schools are stealing from other public schools. You refuse to consider what they are doing in those schools that could be beneficial in all schools and terrific teachers and inspired students have nothing to do with the equation. Now pay attention, Brakeman, your attitude toward children in traditional public schools is condescending. You do not have confidence or admiration for them, you don’t want to try and elevate standards for them, you think they can’t excel maybe because they are poor or of a certain race or culture. But does not the new charter school prove that any child can learn and thrive in a highly structured and disciplined environment? Yes, parental involvement is part of the success, along with any child’s education, but they are doing things in these schools that is inovative and proven successful and before you trot out a bunch of unsourced “charter schools are failing” statistics, I would suggest you tour that facility and feel the energy and excitement in those children and educators.
Vance Co is fortunate to have a Superintendent now that speaks of high standards and success. He makes a point to talk about things like failure not being an option and his positive attitude is key to the future of Vance Co schools. In these most difficult economic times, he made the bold and cost saving step to not rehire 2 assistant superintendents, a move which could only bring more work to his own table. Charter schools may still be a thorn in his side but if only everyone
would look at why they came into being and not have knee***** reactions – that they are a threat to the rest of the school system and “stealing all the good kids” – and find some common ground and acceptance for innovative ideas in educating children it would be good for ALL of our school kids.
Fairness is a relative term. I would say that I hear more unfairness and distorted claims made against Republicans by Democrats, like those made by Brakeman and Fitzsimons. They would have you believe that conservative views mean you are intolerant, selfish and worse, you want poor children to live in squalor and never get to go to school! Brakeman can not discuss why Republicans may want to see changes to public school education, things like merit pay, and high standards of discipline, he can not address it so he plays the superior Christian card.
But at least he responds in some way, where Fitzsimons has never responded to my past challenges of his editorials.
This is a tough election year and we must debate the issues but editorials like the one that started these posts achieve nothing. It is written to demonize and divide people. Conservatives and Republicans look at people as individuals, we don’t lump children into failing groups. We believe everyone can be a succesful part of the community. Let’s all have a conversation about our school system, which everyone cares about, and making it a Republican/Democrat issue is not helpful.
Thanks to Phil Hart and HIH for allowing these discussions!
Actually, you are wrong in your judgement call on my view of children in public schools. I admire all kids regardless of where they come from, to where they are presently. I just don’t desire to see them excluded from exposure to all inspiring kids from all walks of life. And the public schools are becoming more segregated and excluded from the general population as each year passes by. I don’t believe Martin Luther King Jr. would be happy to see re-segregated schools.
I volunteer and see all kinds of kids. I just want to see Charter Schools be required to teach ‘all kids.’ Why not….they take money from our public schools for: Vocational, Special Needs, School Buses. It is a fact that they get a cut of public schools money for each kid they take in even when they do not offer all of these services.
Charter Schools also do not have to deal with home life problems that public school teachers deal with. I doubt very seriously if a Charter School has to call social services daily and deal with the same issues. Also…in Charter Schools, If parents do not do their part, they can eject that kid back to public schools. If our public schools used that same policy of ejecting students, they would be called unconstitutional and every bad name in the book. School principals would suffer great repercussions from that type of practice.
School teachers were getting merit raises every time their school mastered a level of study standards that were measureable by the people in Raleigh…Sad to say, in 2006 that those funds were re-appropriated to pay off the State debt that a poor ecomony brought on. I’m inspired to see teachers still hanging in there and doing their best to deliver high standards, as our new superintendent said. They get my salute especially in a time where there is no money available to get paid better.
Dagney…I’m honestly am not trying to be a narrow minded man…nor a hater. I do try to be a decent Christian, not perfect, just forgiven. I just wish that the world saw fit to ‘work together’ and not walk out and build another building down the street thinking that they can solve everything by isolating their life away from the rest of the crowd.
.