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

School Quality vs. the Virus

Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate · September 18, 2020 · Leave a Comment

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

With the coronavirus still rampant across North Carolina, the top education concern in many families has little to do with the state’s long-term school investments or with the disadvantages faced by students in economically stressed rural communities.

The big issue in thousands of households has to do with kids trying to learn effectively in online, at-home “classrooms” while parents are forced to balance their job responsibilities – if they still have jobs! – with their involuntary role as de facto teachers’ assistants.

It’s a balancing act necessitated by the risks of virus exposure in confined indoor spaces, which schools certainly are. And the risks apply not only to students themselves, but also to school personnel and even to family members who could end up being infected via chain transmission. 

That said, many frazzled parents understandably are on their last nerve. No wonder there’s pressure on Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration to gamble on looser standards for school re-opening. And no wonder, during the height of an election season, that Republicans eager to undercut Cooper and his allies are playing to those parental frustrations.

The state Senate’s top Republican, President Pro Tem Phil Berger — along with Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who’s challenging Cooper for re-election — are pushing for all public school students to have the option of full-time, in-person classes. Despite the risks.

Of course there’s an educational benefit to having kids back with their teachers. But Cooper has been prudent in resisting pressure to accelerate the re-opening of schools and businesses before public health data signal that it’s safe. His Sept. 17 announcement that elementary schools will be allowed to re-open full-time as of Oct. 5 clearly took the political heat into account while framing the move as a science-based course correction.

The governor also has argued for more state support for school districts faced with greater costs as they try to carry on with instruction amid the pandemic. The General Assembly indeed has taken some worthwhile steps, such as guaranteeing that school districts won’t have their appropriations cut despite collapsing state revenues and putting up money to improve students’ internet access.

However, legislators missed a chance to use a large chunk of federal pandemic relief funds to help address long-standing public school deficiencies that courts have said amount to constitutional violations. With some $900 million still available from the CARES program enacted by Congress last spring, the Republican-controlled Senate and House this month decided to use about half of it to make $335 payments to each household with children younger than 18.

The idea, embedded in House Bill 1105, was to help offset parents’ additional costs related to virtual, homebound learning. Of course every little bit helps. But spreading small, equal payments among every family with kids – no matter the family’s income, no matter how many kids – seems less like a well-targeted relief plan than a pre-election effort to curry favor with a certain slice of voters.

Berger added to that impression by saying parents needed a break, and that they could take some of the money and treat themselves to a babysitter and a night out. A nice luxury, to be sure – for folks willing to take the risk of going to a restaurant, for example, or who aren’t already three months behind on the rent with an eviction pending. 

Most Democrats joined with majority Republicans in supporting the bill. When Cooper signed it on Sept. 4, he said it contained critical funding. But he added that legislators “should have done more to expand Medicaid, support small business, pay our educators, assist with rent and utilities relief and further help unemployed North Carolinians.” The bill’s additional $50 in jobless benefits makes the state’s notoriously tight-fisted unemployment insurance program only slightly less stingy.

Haves and have-nots

If education funding disputes amid the pandemic reflect acute problems, then there are larger, longer-lasting disputes over chronic ills bedeviling North Carolina’s public schools and the students they’re supposed to serve.

The epic Leandro case, which stretches back to the early 1990s, has established in rulings by the state Supreme Court that the state’s public education system is failing to meet its constitutional duty. All students, no matter whether they live in a hoity-toity golf-course enclave or down a boondocks dirt road and no matter which schools they attend, are supposed to have a fair chance to get a “sound basic” education, as defined by the high court. But after a quarter-century and counting, that standard has yet to be reached.

Not that there hasn’t been some progress. Pre-kindergarten programs have been strengthened, for example, and caps on class sizes have been lowered. Additional money has been channeled to school districts with high needs and limited resources. But unacceptable shortfalls in student outcomes remain.

The case remains under court jurisdiction, with Superior Court Judge David Lee of Union County assigned to oversee the state’s efforts to meet its responsibilities. Under Lee’s guidance, an action plan has been developed, with plaintiffs in the suit – parents and school boards in low-wealth counties – reaching agreement with state education officials on the way forward. On Sept. 1, Lee signed a so-called consent order setting forth the agreement’s terms.

As summarized by reporter Greg Childress for N.C. Policy Watch, the directive calls for a $427 million boost in state education spending during the fiscal year that began July 1. That’s in addition to funds provided through the CARES Act. It would represent the first phase of a comprehensive remedial plan unfolding over eight years.

Of the recommended total outlay, $235 million would go toward higher pay for teachers – helping address the need for well-qualified teachers in financially strapped rural counties. Another $145 million would be targeted toward school districts where student performance lags, often districts that serve impoverished communities with high concentrations of minority residents.

Running on fumes

Here’s the catch, however: The legislature, which will have to come up with the money, likely will have turned the state’s pockets inside out trying to maintain a minimum of essential functions in the face of a crushing revenue shortfall. That’s attributable to the pandemic, of course, which has smothered so many facets of the economy and thrown so many people out of work. 

Yet it would compound the intertwined health and economic disasters if North Carolina’s young people continue to lose ground in their schooling – even more ground than they’re perhaps destined to lose amid their foray through the brave new world of virtual instruction.

If legislators need any reminders of our public schools’ overall condition, they can consult the latest “Quality Counts” survey from Education Week. The analysis, dated Sept. 1, ranks North Carolina 48th in the nation considering various school spending metrics.

By the magazine’s reckoning, that boils down to an “F.” There’s no good reason North Carolina should be such a laggard – and the Republican fixation on tax breaks for the affluent surely isn’t one.

The N.C. Council of Churches pays close attention to the quality of our schools because education is such a powerful lever in the drive for greater opportunity and fulfillment of our human potential.

Yet when some young people are deprived of an education meeting the quality standard to which they’re entitled, that amounts to an injustice corrosive not only to their hopes for happy, productive lives but also to the health of our society as a whole. It amounts to another form of discrimination against the vulnerable. Conscientious, fair-minded leaders will do what they must to overcome it.

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured, Raleigh Report

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

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

School Quality vs. the Virus

Latest Tweets

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 3 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/…

About 6 days ago

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

RT @NCCADP We have so much planned to mark the anniversary of NC's last execution. Read all about it on our blog and make a plan to join us as we say: Never again! #deathpenalty bit.ly/3C0lZkf

About a week ago

With the growing threat of the climate crisis, NC is looking toward new ways to get to zero carbon emissions. Last week, @NCIPL staff members Susannah Tuttle & Ren Martin attended a public hearing in Charlotte. wfae.org/energy-envi…

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

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

RT @ncchurches This July, during BIPOC Mental Health Month, we invite faith communities of color to think about programs, initiatives, and ideas that will lift up BIPOC Mental Health and use the grant money @healthandfaith will offer to make that idea come to light! ncchurches.org/bipoc… pic.twitter.com/DMwT…

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