RALEIGH (February 14, 2025) – What is it that North Carolina’s state legislators don’t get?

Polling results from the Public School Forum of North Carolina showed tremendous support among North Carolina voters for our public schools and teachers:

•83% – and 65% of conservative Republicans – say pay for public school teachers should be increased.

•74% say funding for NC public schools should be increased. The support spans party lines. A majority across all parties – 56% of Republicans, 73% of unaffiliated voters and 90% of Democrats – say funding should be increased for public schools.

•Roughly half of voters (53%) say they are familiar with the state’s voucher system. College-educated voters, suburban voters, long-time residents, mothers and Democrats say they are more familiar with the program.

•Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of voters oppose using taxpayer funds for private school vouchers.

•Astoundingly, since rural counties have few or no private schools, rural voters are the only group that approaches majority support for vouchers, at 48%. Vouchers represent a net flow of taxpayer dollars from rural to metro counties.

•More than 7 in 10 – 71% – say increasing funds for traditional K-12 schools will do more to improve public education than vouchers.

•70% of voters say it is extremely or very important that students receive non-college career training, and 73% say it is extremely or very important that they are well-prepared for life.

•74% think that with North Carolina ranked 38th in average teaching salaries and other Southern states like South Carolina and Arkansas increasing teacher pay, we need to restore funding for public schools that educate the vast majority of North Carolina students.

•81% think that rather than giving public tax dollars to private schools that do not have to report what they teach, how their students perform or which students they admit, we should fully invest in the public schools that educate most North Carolina children.

THESE NUMBERS should be a wake-up call to legislators in a state that once upon a time valued its public schools.

With those sorts of poll numbers – numbers any politician would accept on any issue – why do North Carolina legislators not respond?

•Why does North Carolina rank 38th in average teacher pay?

•Why does North Carolina rank 42nd in starting teacher pay?

•Why does North Carolina rank 48th in state expenditures per student?

•Why does North Carolina rank 49th for the percentage of its economy it devotes to K-12 education?

•And why do state legislators divert $616 million¹ in taxpayer dollars for private school vouchers this year alone that could have gone to public schools?

AGAIN, why do state legislators not respond?

They likely feel quite safe and cozy, ensconced in their gerrymandered districts.

But also, if they feel this strongly about public schools, why don’t North Carolina’s voters hold legislators accountable?

Please understand that the people you elect to the state House and Senate are making these ill-advised decisions.

Wake up to what’s going on in your statehouse with your tax dollars, North Carolina.

The survey of 800 registered North Carolina voters in May 2024 had a margin of error of +/- 3.46%.

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1 https://www.einpresswire.com/article/759959521/nc-legislature-poised-to-spend-almost-as-much-on-private-school-vouchers-as-on-hurricane-disaster-relief.