Should NC voters elect the state Board of Education? House committee backs idea.

North Carolina voters could decide this fall whether to change the state Constitution to elect members of the State Board of Education instead of having them nominated by the governor.

The state House Education Committee backed a bill Wednesday that would put a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot to turn the state board seats into elected positions. The legislation is being proposed by Republican lawmakers at a time when the state board has a Democratic majority because of multiple appointments by Gov. Roy Cooper.

The move, if approved by the full General Assembly and by voters, would also place the state superintendent of public instruction as the head of the state board — a move the bill’s sponsors said will eliminate conflict and confusion between the two.

People who vote for schools superintendent “probably assume they’re voting for the person who’s going to be in charge,” said Rep. Hugh Blackwell, a Republican from Burke County and co-chair of the education committee. “This is designed to put that leadership role in clear hands.”

Critics said the change would turn board members into politicians, forcing them to raise money for campaigns. They also worried the board would lose minority representation if its members come mostly from Congressional districts, as House Bill 1173 proposes.

“Some of the people in this room may think that’s OK. I do not,” said Rep. Kandie Smith, a Democrat from Pitt County. “I don’t care who’s in authority, whether it’s Republicans or Democrats. I want to be sure minorities will be represented.”

Shift to GOP majority on board?

The state board now consists of the lieutenant governor, treasurer and 11 members who are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the General Assembly.

The legislation would keep the lieutenant governor and treasurer as state board members while also adding the state superintendent as a voting member and board chair. All three elected positions are currently held by Republicans.

The bill would also change the Constitution so that the remaining board seats would be elected and based on the number of the state’s Congressional seats.

North Carolina has 13 Congressional districts: eight seats held by Republicans and five by Democrats. A 14th is being added next year, following the November elections.

Several GOP members said appointees carry partisan bias as much as elected members would. “To suggest that education is a nonpartisan issue is maybe to deceive ourselves,” Blackwell said.

Social studies fight

The state board’s Democratic majority has increasingly found itself at odds with Republican lawmakers.

Last year, a divided state board adopted new K-12 social studies standards that supporters say are more inclusive of different groups. But the Republican members of the state board accused the new standards of promoting Critical Race Theory and painting an overly negative view of the nation’s history.

In February, Todd Chasteen resigned from the state board, saying he disagreed with the direction the majority was taking. Chasteen had been appointed by former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory.

Republican lawmakers have also clashed with Democratic state board members over the Leandro school funding lawsuit.

Board members have called on the state to fully fund the Leandro school action plan, which includes $785 million that a judge says the state owes. GOP lawmakers have questioned the plan and say no court can order it to be funded.

No specific education issues were raised in Wednesday’s committee meeting, but Republican members called the shift to elected board members long overdue.

“If anything has become clear,” Blackwell said, “parents and voters feel like they need to have more of a say in what’s happening in our schools. This is designed to give them that voice.”

The chances of the bill passing are unclear. Since it’s proposing a change to the Constitution, it would require a three-fifths majority in both the House and Senate to pass. Republicans hold the majority but would need Democratic support for the legislation.

If it goes on the Nov. 8 ballot and is approved by voters, state board seats would go on the November 2024 ballot. Members would run for four-year, staggered terms.