NC Governor declares ‘state of emergency’ due to GOP school voucher expansion, tax cuts

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper declared Monday that “public education in North Carolina is facing a state of emergency” in the face of “extreme legislation” being promoted by Republican state lawmakers.

In a video posted online Monday, Cooper said GOP lawmakers will “starve public education” and “drops an atomic bomb on public education” with plans to further cut taxes and increase funding for private school vouchers. He said the public needs to speak out against the changes before they’re adopted in the state budget.

“It’s clear that the Republican legislature is aiming to choke the life out of public education,” Cooper said. “I am declaring this state of emergency because you need to know what’s happening.

“If you care about public schools in North Carolina, it’s time to take immediate action and tell them to stop the damage that will set back our schools for a generation.”

Cooper’s speech comes as Republican legislative leaders are negotiating a state budget deal for the next two years. The GOP has a legislative supermajority, so it can adopt a spending plan and other legislation without needing Cooper’s support.

The governor will hold public events across the state in the days ahead to call on parents, educators and business leaders to speak against the GOP proposals, the Associated Press reported.

On Tuesday, Cooper will visit Washington Elementary School in Raleigh. It was recently named the top magnet elementary school in the nation.

Cooper, who can’t run again for a third consecutive term, has been losing political power. Last week, seven Democrats joined Republicans in passing the Senate budget proposal.

“Meaningless publicity stunts do nothing to improve educational outcomes in our state,” Randy Brechbiel, a spokesman for Senate leader Phil Berger, said in a statement Monday. “The House and Senate will continue working together to put forward budget proposals that address the needs of students and parents.”

‘Our teachers deserve better’

Under the Senate budget, average teacher pay would increase 4.5% over the next two years with the biggest increase going toward beginning educators. The House GOP budget had average 10.2% raises for teachers over the next two years.

Cooper has advocated for 18% raises for teachers over the next two years.

“Our teachers deserve better pay and more respect but the legislature wants to give them neither one,” Cooper said.

The $250 pay raise that the Senate would provide veteran teachers over the next two years “is a slap in the face,” Cooper said. He said the proposed Senate pay raise will not help the state deal with the thousands of teacher vacancies.

“Once again, we see leaders in government telling you that they know what’s best for your child,” Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson tweeted Monday after Cooper’s video was released. “Our Governor has gone so far as to use the words ‘state of emergency’ as a political prop. However, words like this weren’t said when Democrats had control of the legislature and teachers were receiving pay cuts and being furloughed.”

‘Stop the political theater’

The Senate GOP budget would also expand the Opportunity Scholarship program so that any family, regardless of its income, would qualify to apply for vouchers to attend a K-12 private school.

Last week, the state House approved a separate piece of legislation that would provide universal access to the Opportunity Scholarship program.

An Office of State Budget and Management analysis says the bill could cost traditional public schools $200 million in state funding, rural counties being particularly hard hit.

“Our legislature is allowing families to chart their own educational destinies because they know what their children need better than a bureaucrat,” Robinson, who is seeking the GOP nomination for governor, tweeted.

Rep. Tricia Cotham, a Mecklenburg County Republican who recently left the Democratic Party, accused Cooper of “advocating for systems rather than for students themselves” in his speech. She urged the governor to sign the school voucher expansion when it gets to his desk.

“Stop the political theater and put kids first!” Cotham tweeted Monday.

‘Cut public schools to the bone’

The Senate budget would also accelerate the tax cuts that Republicans put in previous budgets.

Cooper accused GOP lawmakers of wanting to help millionaires by giving them more tax cuts and making it possible for them to get private school vouchers. Currently, the Opportunity Scholarship program is limited to lower-to-middle-income families.

GOP lawmakers are choosing corporations and rich folks over public schools, the governor charged.

“Public school superintendents are telling me they’ll likely have to cut public schools to the bone — eliminate early college, AP and gifted courses, art, music, sports — if the legislature keeps draining funds to pay for private schools and those massive tax breaks,” Cooper said.

Cooper’s concerns were echoed by Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor.

“Our kids need strong schools that prepare them for the jobs of the future,” Stein said in a statement. “Instead, Republican legislators want to defund public education to cut taxes for corporations and millionaires and to subsidize wealthy parents sending their kids to unaccountable private schools.

“As Governor, I’ll always fight to strengthen public education in North Carolina so our kids can compete and succeed.”

‘Culture wars into the classrooms’

The governor also took aim at other education legislation the North Carolina General Assembly is acting on that he said would “bring their political culture wars into the classrooms.”

▪ The Senate passed a bill that bans curriculum on gender identity, sexual activity or sexuality in kindergarten through fourth grades.

▪ The Senate and House have both passed bills that would ban transgender female athletes from playing on girls’ sports teams.

▪ The House passed a bill that it says would keep Critical Race Theory out of schools by putting new rules in place on how racism is taught in schools.

▪ The House passed a bill that would create a commission appointed mainly by lawmakers that would recommend the standards that would be taught in each K-12 subject.

▪ The House is considering asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment to elect members of the State Board of Education instead of having them nominated by the governor.

“If they get their way, our State Board of Education will be replaced by political hacks who can dictate what is taught — and not taught — in our public schools,” Cooper said. “North Carolina schools need rigorous science, reading and math classes, not more politicians policing our children’s curriculum with book bans, elimination of science courses and more.”