Editorial: Support public schools. Stop blocking Leandro remedial plan now

No reasonable North Carolinian disagrees with the fact that our state has failed – for at least the last quarter-century – to meet its constitutional obligation to provide EVERY child with access to a quality education.

The disputing parties in this long-running case, with the help of at least three judges assigned to help reach a settlement, came together, agreed on expertise to assist and developed a consensus approach – the Comprehensive Remedial Plan -- to resolve the longstanding neglect of the state’s school children.

Cooper’s budget plan sets aside the funding necessary to fund the first five years of the action plan – now two years delayed in implementation because of foot-dragging legal wrangling from the leaders of the General Assembly.

While Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore have never challenged the court’s findings as to whether school kids are getting access to the quality education they are promised, they have contended that no court can force funding of the plan that’s been agreed to by the disputing parties.

Instead of addressing our state’s long unmet and neglected obligations, the two legislative leaders continued promoting more tax cuts for corporations.

Moore and Berger have even gone to court claiming no one can force the legislature to appropriate money to implement the education quality program.

All of which begs the most fundamental question here. Since Berger and Moore haven’t challenged the repeated findings that children are being denied their constitutional right to a quality education, what is their plan to do their sworn duty to uphold the constitution?

What are they going to do to make sure every child is in a safe public school, with top-notch administrators to run things in buildings with well-equipped classrooms led by a highly qualified teacher? How are they going to make sure there’s an adequate pipeline of qualified instructors to fill the state’s public school classrooms?

What is their plan to make sure teachers are paid a wage commensurate with the obligations and expectations of the job? What steps are they taking to address the extreme shortage of instructional specialists, school nurses, counselors, psychologists and other support staff?

The reality, based on performance over the last decade, is that they have no plan.

Well now the time is to either put up or shut up.

There’s a good plan, worked out by opposing parties in a lawsuit who came together to do what is best for the future of the state.

Legislators must end their unnecessary and obstructive legal action now so the state can move ahead with implementing this common-sense plan to bring access to a quality education to all of North Carolina’s children.