MARY ANN WOLF: Beyond the 2024 elections

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mary Ann Wolf is president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.

Earlier this month Americans selected the next set of leaders who will make the decisions that shape the coming years for our communities, our state, and our country. In North Carolina, January will usher in terms for new: Gov. Josh Stein; Lt. Gov.. Rachel Hunt; Atty. Gen. Jeff Jackson; State Treasurer Brad Briner; and Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green.

Several new state senators and representatives will take office alongside many who will be returning to their positions in the General Assembly. There will also be a new host of judges, county commissioners and local school board members. For a full list of election outcomes visit ncsbe.gov/election-results.

Following the election there will be some changes in the General Assembly. The Republican party has controlled the NCGA since 2011 and has held a veto-proof supermajority since 2023.  Republicans maintained a majority in both the state House and Senate but the supermajority was broken by one seat in the House.

Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham County, will remain President Pro Tempore of the Senate, while Rep. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell County, will assume leadership as House Speaker.

Per our state constitution, the General Assembly is responsible for providing funding for a free and uniform system of public schools and is responsible for allocating state funding to support instructional expenses for public education, including salaries and benefits, supplies, and transportation. Current issues in education policy that the legislature is likely to address include:

• School funding
• Teacher salaries
• Taxpayer-funded private school vouchers
• Student mental health
• School safety

The legislature holds the “power of the purse,” allowing it to exercise significant power in directing state education policy through laws that shape policy and the state budget.  But after losing the supermajority Republicans will have a more challenging time advancing their priorities without compromising with the governor’s office.

In response, there have been efforts to make quick progress on some Republican agenda items before current terms and legislature end in January. This includes overriding Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of HB10 to provide an additional $463 million to the taxpayer-funded private school voucher program and require local sheriffs to work with federal ICE agents.

The day before lawmakers overrode the veto, revised SB 382 was unveiled. This bill, which was later approved and then vetoed by Gov. Cooper, provides some funding for Hurricane Helene relief in Western North Carolina while mostly reducing the authority of newly elected Democratic officials including governor, attorney general and superintendent of public instruction.

In North Carolina, the state superintendent is charged with leading the Department of Public Instruction and serving as the chief administrative officer of the state board of education. The superintendent is responsible for implementing education policies, supporting local school districts, administering billions of dollars in education funding, and advocating for public schools.

Throughout his campaign for superintendent, Mo Green celebrated public schools and highlighted successes from his time as superintendent of Guilford County Schools. During a candidate forum at the Public School Forum’s 2024 Eggs & Issues breakfast, he shared that as a leader he likes to “listen, learn and lead” and expressed reverence for public school educators. Green’s campaign website also includes these public education pillars:

• Prepare each student for the next phase in life
• Invest fully in public education
• Revere public school educators
• Enhance parent and community support
• Ensure safe, secure learning environments
• Celebrate the good in public education

Gov.-elect Josh Stein also expressed strong support for public schools throughout his campaign. During Eggs & Issues he stated: “There is no greater priority for the state of North Carolina than to do an excellent job educating the young people of North Carolina.” He shared that if elected his priorities for public education would include adequate funding, recruitment and retention of educators, and safety.

With new terms around the corner, the incoming elected and incumbent officials have the opportunity to respond to what North Carolinians care about by increasing resources and support for local public schools so that they can better prepare our children for life. We at the Public School Forum look forward to working with these officials. Together, we can provide our children with the tools needed for successful lives and thriving communities.

Thank you for taking time with us to learn and think about education. That’s all for today, and we’ll see you next week.