LAUREN FOX & MICHAEL PRIDDY: Top education issue? Keeping guarantee of a sound basic education for every child

As set forth in WestEd report commissioned by Superior Court Judge David Lee, it is critical that additional resources be targeted at students who historically have been underserved. Thirty-three percent of the state’s traditional public schools are considered to be high-poverty -- more than 75 percent of the student population is economically disadvantaged, and nearly two-thirds of the state’s 115 school districts are classified as low-wealth. Students of color, non-native English speakers, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students disproportionately attend high-poverty schools. And high-poverty schools and schools serving higher proportions of students of color are far less likely to have access to well-qualified teachers and principals, challenging curriculum, and other resources essential to providing the opportunity for a sound basic education.

We hope this order prods lawmakers to immediately initiate both short and long-term steps to address the demonstrated needs of our public schools.

We could look at 2020 as just another year of political battles and stagnant progress that has characterized much of the last decade. But we are hopeful that this decade will usher in real progress toward transforming public education in North Carolina.

It is time for stakeholders to make our state a leader again by creating a more equitable and higher quality system of public education as mandated by our state constitution. And, there will be a revived commitment to secure the future civic and economic well-being of our children and our state. It will take time, resources, and collaborative effort, but it is well within our ability to accomplish this and the investment now will pay off exponentially in the future.