Editorial: Leandro plan will lift all N.C. schools; legislative leaders offer uncertainty

Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 -- Senate Leader Phil Berger, House Speaker Tim Moore and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt, have been silent, dismissive and even insulting in their responses to the action plan and the judge's order to assure that all North Carolina children have the opportunity to receive a sound basic education.

Posted 9:00 a.m. Oct 8, 2021 — Updated 9:00 a.m. Oct 8, 2021

CBC Editorial: Friday, Oct. 8, 2021; Editorial #8708

The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company.

The undeniable facts:

It is a fundamental right, as promised in North Carolina’s Constitution, that every child has the opportunity to receive a sound basic education.
North Carolina, at least since 1997 as determined by the state Supreme Court and reaffirmed in 2004, has failed and continues to deny that promise to many North Carolina children.
The plaintiffs and defendants in the “Leandro” case worked together with non-partisan experts to develop a consensus remedial plan addressing the state’s shortcomings. This was reviewed by state Superior Court Judge David Lee who ordered its implementation.

North Carolina’s newest self-appointed education czars, Senate Leader Phil Berger, House Speaker Tim Moore and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt, have been silent, dismissive and even insulting in their responses to the action plan and the judge’s order.

“If Judge Lee wants to help decide how to spend state dollars — a role that has been the exclusive domain of the legislative branch since the state’s founding — then Judge Lee should run for a seat in the House or Senate. That’s where the Constitution directs state budgeting decisions be made, not some county trial judge,” said Berger’s spokesman.

The remedial plan outlines seven broad areas where North Carolina has failed to meet its Constitutional obligation to the state’s children as well as providing detailed programs to address those failures. It is well worth implementation, a Judge Lee’s Oct. 18 deadline for action on the plan approaches.

What’s in the Berger-Moore-Truitt solution? What’s their remedy?

North Carolina lacks an adequate system of teacher development and recruitment so every classroom is staffed with a high-quality teacher who is supported with early and ongoing professional learning and provided competitive pay.