“I’m extremely concerned that we have a state that is dismantling our public school system. This state is going in the wrong direction when it comes to public education.”
“We are getting ready to open our classroom doors. … And we don’t have a clue yet if we’re going to have to (lay off) 500 teacher assistants or try to hire almost 140 new teachers.”
“There are people who are in favor of public education… and then there’s folks who just don’t like public schools.”
Those quotes aren’t from angry Democrats. Those are Republicans concerned about what the General Assembly is doing to our public schools. And they aren’t just disgruntled parents. They’re school board members and a GOP consultant.
The damage Republicans are doing to public schools is real. Per pupil spending is among the lowest in nation and so is teacher pay. Some of our best teachers are leaving the profession and the were certainly not attractive to the best and brightest who are looking to start a career.
Smart Republicans understand that could be the party’s undoing. As the consultant, Larry Shaheen, correctly noted, “Regardless of your political persuasion, North Carolina has a rich heritage of public education. You can’t just dismantle it because it happens to be built by Democrats…Republicans have got to get better on public education and if they don’t, the majority in Raleigh will be unsustainable.”
I’m sure Shaheen has caught his share of hell for those statements, but he speaks the truth. Democrats didn’t only build the system, it kept them in power. They told voters that if they elected Republicans, the GOP would cut funds to public schools and universities. Republicans claimed that Democrats were just using scare tactics.
Turns out, those Republicans are so scary, they’re scaring Republicans.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Just look at what John Kasich and the Republicans did in Ohio..I am very concerned about what is happening in NC now. It is the same ALEC plan that has been carried out in Ohio, Kansas. I am raising a 5yo grand-daughter, and I will be relying on public schools for her education. If we can’t get rid of the oligarch shills in Raleigh in 2016, I am thinking of leaving the state. I hate to do that because I love it here, but she comes first in my life.
Where are the developers coming down on this? Are they proud of their puppets? Of course, people who buy $500K houses probably don’t have children in public schools, so maybe it all fits in a neat package for them.
The people who buy $500,000 houses will not be moving their companies or jobs to this state if this keeps up. Then the developers can start developing newer trailer parks for who is left.Also, It use to be that about 50% of legislators in the GA had a UNC connection or were actual grads. The gutting of the UNC system would never have happened in those days. That flaw and change is another reason why business will pass by this state and go to surrounding states. It is hard to believe,but South Carolina is kicking our butts now.