North Carolina’s public education candidates are celebrating victories across the state. Thanks to the millions of voters who cast their ballots for leaders who support public education, we have new opportunities to provide the resources our teachers need to provide a high-quality public education that ALL students deserve.
Pro-public education candidates were elected at all levels, from the US Congress and NC state legislature to NC county commissions and local boards of education!
Roy Cooper, our new state senator, has been a champion for public education throughout his career. He will be joined in the U.S. Congress by new House of Representative members who also support public schools. We hope these victories will usher in an era of renewed support for our schools, students, and communities.
The federal voucher law could also be repealed. Last year the Keep Public Dollars in Public Schools Act, which would repeal the new voucher law, was introduced in both the US House and US Senate. Our new lawmakers could end the harmful voucher program before it does too much damage.
Join us in urging our Congressional members to repeal the federal voucher law, reconstitute the US Department of Education, and fully restore federally-funded programs such as Title I, IDEA, and civil rights enforcement.
At the state level, public education candidates won big in both chambers, giving us hope that in the near future, North Carolina will no longer be at the bottom of every public school funding ranking. During the 2027 long session, lawmakers will pass a new two-year budget. They have the opportunity to deliver for our children through policies and funding that support public education, high-quality educators, mental health supports, school safety, healthcare, and more.
Public education candidates also swept county commissioner and school board races, which means that policies focused on what’s best for ALL children are more likely to receive the attention and funding they need.
Unfortunately, all of the constitutional amendments on the ballot passed, and are now ingrained in our state constitution, making it almost impossible for legislators to undo in the future. Our state and local elected officials will face more challenges in finding the funds needed for public education and other public safety and public health services.
We must not replace the lost revenue by increasing sales tax or other regressive fees that hurt our seniors, children, or families. Lawmakers must act to minimize the damage the amendments will cause, but the reduced revenue will make difficult budget discussions even worse.
We hope that in the new legislative session that these public education victories will result in repeals of many of the harmful state laws and that our lawmakers will focus on their constitutional obligation to fund a free, public education for all children.
Our students, educators, and communities deserve better than what our lawmakers have given them for the past 15 years. With these election results, North Carolina is well on its way to achieving the goal set out by NCDPI – having the best public school system in the nation by 2030.
Thank you, NC public education voters! This is a real win for our educators, students, and communities!