Faith and Health Summit 2022 Mindful Together
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
    • Careers
  • Programs
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • Faith and Health Summit 2022 Mindful Together
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • Mental Health Advocacy
      • BIPOC Mental Health Grant
      • Growing Communities of Inclusion: A Faithful Response to HIV
      • Healthy Aging
      • Citizen Science
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Criminal Justice
    • Immigrant Rights
    • Public Education
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
  • Events
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Back to School Amid Tight Times

Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate · August 28, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Click here to sign up to receive the Raleigh Report in your inbox

Of the many public policies North Carolina has followed across the decades, none has brought greater dividends than the state’s commitment to invest in education at all levels.

No other policy has done more to support the state’s economy by attracting and nurturing businesses eager to take advantage of a well-prepared workforce. No other policy has done more to enhance the lives of millions of residents.

North Carolina was able to elevate itself above its Southern peers as a state that truly grasped the link between knowledge and opportunity. If there are regions bypassed by prosperity – sadly, there are many – our thriving communities stand as beacons of the possible. The N.C. Council of Churches is not alone in seeing a strong education system backed by ample resources as key to the spread of opportunity accessible to all, even to people who seem to have the deck stacked against them.

Not that the virtues of education spending have always been universally recognized. As was typical in the American South, there were forces who preferred to avoid the taxation needed to finance schools and universities. There were employers who were satisfied to keep workers’ horizons limited to the fields and the mills. There were racists who stood against the hopes of minority citizens to better themselves through schooling.

The state also had to cope with a legacy of poverty that limited the funds available for public investment of all kinds. But despite the obstacles, a consensus for better education emerged – supported by enlightened business leaders and politicians of both parties. The University of North Carolina system emerged as a national pacesetter, as did the state’s community colleges. Whole “knowledge industries” blossomed as a result.

The challenges were greatest in elevating the standards of the public schools, where money was stretched the thinnest and student achievement lagged. But a sustained effort over the last 30-plus years to make the state’s schools more effective – for example, by raising teachers’ salaries and thus helping keep good teachers in our classrooms – was paying off. Academic performance was on the upswing, and North Carolina’s reputation as a place where companies could tap a deep pool of qualified workers continued to set us apart.

Chances to climb

As another academic year gets under way, with school buses rolling and classes of all kinds convening, much about those scenes looks comfortably familiar. Young people’s energy and optimism still inspire. Their families’ fondest dreams are for their fulfillment and success. Parents know that for those dreams to be realized, young people must have every chance to climb the education ladder – and that the ladder must be sturdy and wide.

None of the decisions on education spending made by the General Assembly and Gov. Pat McCrory as they approved a new state budget will smash that ladder beyond repair. But it will be weakened. The consequences will be felt.

Legislative leaders and the governor have dwelt on the fact that the new budget for public schools actually is larger than the previous one. But the Department of Public Instruction counters that much of the supposed 4.8 percent increase represents money that is “either not new to schools or represent(s) status quo funding only, and will not go to support the additional services or personnel needed to help students learn.”

The gist of the problem is that the new budget fails to keep pace with school systems’ rising costs. Searching for ways to keep spending down, legislators have directed that class sizes will increase, meaning that the budget pays for fewer teachers.

Changes will be incremental – it’s not as though classes will suddenly be twice as large. But adding even a few students makes the burden on teachers, already overworked and underpaid, that much heavier. It raises the chance that a student won’t get the attention he or she needs. Then there are the early-grades teachers who will lose the support of teacher assistants. About a fifth of those assistants will lose their jobs as their positions are scrapped. Plenty of kids will notice the difference.

Self-pay for supplies

Teachers also will have to pay even more out of their own pockets for classroom supplies as state support shrinks. Textbook inventories, never plentiful, will be stretched even further. It’s as though legislators actually wanted to make teaching more difficult and to make teachers themselves feel less appreciated as their pay levels drop toward the bottom of national rankings. And teachers who could anticipate a raise if they went on to earn a graduate degree no longer will have that incentive as the pay premium is erased.

All this and more takes place while state leaders signal their enthusiasm for private alternatives to public education. They signal it not just with words but with money – as in the $10 million set aside to finance an “opportunity scholarship” private school voucher program. Perhaps if the state were flush with revenues and public education funding were robust, there’d be room for this kind of experiment. As things stand, it marks a retreat from what should be one of the state’s top priorities.

Despite perennial funding challenges, North Carolina’s community college system is regarded as one of the nation’s best. It’s been a new-skills lifeline for thousands of residents buffeted by economic change, and it’s given many young people an affordable and accessible entry port into higher education. The new budget spares the community colleges from major cuts but still falls short of what it would take to keep operations at current levels. Students who can’t find openings in the classes they need will know whom to thank.

A slippery stone?

The education budget knife cuts deepest at the UNC campuses – perhaps not unexpectedly, given that conservatives running the legislature don’t tend to feel much warmth for academicians they often perceive as pampered liberals.

But a good-quality, affordable education at one of North Carolina’s public universities has been a priceless stepping stone for generations of our young people. Forcing the campuses to cut, cut and cut some more – exactly what’s happened during recent years of recession and political turnover, now even more dramatically – doesn’t make life difficult only for chancellors and professors. It risks the futures of those who count on the universities to help prepare them for careers making full use of their talents and to position them as the civic leaders of tomorrow.

The university system also has anchored the state’s efforts, successful in many respects, to overcome the decline of traditional manufacturing and transition toward an economy propelled by research and technology. As an economic buttress, it’s been indispensable. Just as with any large organization, the pursuit of greater efficiency is proper and necessary. But North Carolina would take a terrible hit if the universities were squeezed to the point where the quality now distinguishing many of their programs came to be seen as a thing of the past.

Legislators and Gov. McCrory will be quick to note that schools and campuses are opening these days on schedule, that students are eager, parents are supportive, teachers and faculty are giving it their best shot. Of course they are, and it’s to their credit.

But the excitement of a new school year would be that much greater if it weren’t for the misguided decisions that are forcing educators at all levels to try to do more with less. The elected leaders who set the new budget did so only after cutting taxes by some $500 million over the next two years – tax cuts that will go mainly to upper-income earners and big corporations.

The idea is to help create jobs. But nothing creates jobs like good public schools, solid community colleges and reasonably priced, well-resourced universities. This legislature and governor would have done well to place more importance on ensuring full educational opportunities for all, including young people of meager circumstances eager to better themselves, than on giving tax breaks to those on whom fortune has already smiled.

— Steve Ford, Volunteer Program Associate

Filed Under: Blog, Raleigh Report Tagged With: Equality & Reconciliation, N.C. General Assembly, Public Education

About Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Much goes on in North Carolina's state capital that's important to the Council of Churches. I'm glad to have a chance to help follow the action, transitioning from my career with The News & Observer of Raleigh, where I retired in 2012 as editorial page editor. I'm originally from Virginia but have lived in Cary so long I remember the Kildaire Farm barn.

Read more of my commentary here.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Reaffirmation of Support for the LGBTQ+ Community
Critical Issues Seminar: The Wisdom of Women
Critical Issues Seminar: Wisdom of Women

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Back to School Amid Tight Times

Latest Tweets

Read about why a robust carbon plan could put North Carolina at the forefront of clean energy in the U.S. and set a standard that other states could follow! We are at a pivotal moment! Learn more about the carbon plan here: ncchurches.org/2022/…

About 4 minutes ago

Join us today at 5:30 in Raleigh for a vigil outside commemorating the 16th anniversary of North Carolina’s last execution. We will remember the 43 people executed under our current death penalty law. nccadp.org/event/vig…

Yesterday

Like it or not – and there are plenty of reasons to worry amid the familiar end-of-summer bursts of excitement – another school year will soon get underway. Read more at ncchurches.org/2022/…

About 4 days ago

Using our voices to fulfill our civic duty and vote in every election makes a difference in our communities. This reflection guide with suggested questions to guide your conversations and spark ideas for questions to ask political candidates. ncchurches.org/2022/…

Last week

Join us for our @healthandfaith Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits. Join us and a well-rounded list of expert speakers: ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/WSnA…

About a week ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

Join us for our Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits bit.ly/FaithHealth20… pic.twitter.com/pfPa…

About 11 minutes ago

RT @ncchurches Join us for our @healthandfaith Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits. Join us and a well-rounded list of expert speakers: ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/WSnA…

Last week

Do you know what grant is right for your faith community? Check out the graphic below to learn about the differences between grants. Click here to learn more informationhttps://www.ncchurches.org/programs/phw/phw-mini-grants/ pic.twitter.com/umXb…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @FaithCompassWFU If we look at the HIV epidemic as an opportunity to bring healing, justice, and equity to those who have been marginalized and impacted by the health industry and society at large, we can generate more good in our communities. #breakthestigma #faithcompassWFU pic.twitter.com/FPIB…

About 3 weeks ago

RT @ncchurches This month we are excited to announce our @healthandfaith Interim Co-Directors: Jessica Stokes & Nicole Johnson. Jessica & Nicole have dedicated their hard work to supporting faith communities across NC. They will continue to do this work while overseeing the PHW program. pic.twitter.com/SU8Q…

About 3 weeks ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @interfaithpower 🧵1/The Senate voted to pass the single biggest climate & clean energy investment in our nation’s history! Read statements on the passage from the IPL network: interfaithpowerandli… #Faiths4Climate #GetClimateDone

Last week

RT @interfaithpower Join us tomorrow for a discussion about encouraging our #faith communities to #vote by offering sermons, divrei Torah, and khutbahs on the importance of #voting. Register at ow.ly/W6so50K5kqI #FaithClimateJusticeVoter #Vote2022 #VoteReady #Faiths4Climate #interfaith pic.twitter.com/6Ecw…

Last week

Press Conference happening now #CLT #NCCarbonPlan #FossilFreeNC pic.twitter.com/Rizq…

About 3 weeks ago

RT @ClimateNexus Faith-based organizations, including @CreationJustice and @NCIPL, are hosting an evening of discussions and workshops on building climate resilience on August 18 from 5 pm to 8 pm ET. Register here: bit.ly/resiliencesum… pic.twitter.com/fuz8…

About 3 weeks ago

RT @averydavislamb Preachers and pastors! This weekend when you pray for and preach on the heat waves, wildfires, and other disasters, try mentioning that these are intensified by climate change. Here's what I've been praying...

Last month

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2022 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine