MARY ANN WOLF: Kids matter! Don't neglect N.C.'s public schools

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the "Final Word" by Mary Ann Wolf from the Sept. 2, 2023 broadcast of Education Matters: "Back-To-School 2023-24" Wolf is president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.

Students across North Carolina are back in school. Over 1.4 million students in our public schools approached the school year ready to learn and our educators met those students with enthusiasm and care to guide them to reach their potential.

Unfortunately many students and educators around the state were also met with a number of interruptions during the first week of school for the 2023-24 year. On Monday, Aug. 28 a shooting took place on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill claiming the life of one faculty member and causing Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to undergo a lockdown on the very first day of school.

Various schools in other districts experienced delayed or interrupted instruction caused by issues with air conditioning systems. Many Wake County students arrived at school late because of a shortage of bus drivers. The Alamance-Burlington School System was forced to push its first day of instruction to Sept. 5 due to mold in multiple school buildings. This is all in addition to ongoing teacher shortages, leaving many classes to be taught by substitute teachers or those not specializing in the subject area.

It doesn’t have to be this way. While there are many things that we can not change, these are all areas that we could address, prevent and make better for every student across North Carolina and communities through policy action.

One of the central purposes of our state government is to support a strong system of public schools that will pave the way for a strong democracy, society and economy. Yet over the past few months alone, we’ve heard so many proposed bills, recommended ideas and other rhetoric that seems to forget and detract from that purpose.

All the while, we do not have a state budget, so each and every one of our 116 school districts started their fiscal year (July 1) and now the school year without a firm budget in place.

Kids matter. It is in the best interest of every North Carolina resident to invest in our children, our families and our communities to ensure children feel safe, supported and ready to learn in their schools.

Parents note that the safety and mental health of their children is a top priority. Yet North Carolina’s ratios of school-based mental health support personnel are far higher than recommended -- and this year the General Assembly passed a law to make it even easier to purchase guns in the state of North Carolina.

Teachers matter. Teachers are the number one school-related factor influencing student outcomes.

We have an unprecedented shortage of teachers across our state affecting public, charter and private schools alike. Last year there were over 5,000 public school educator vacancies, impacting thousands and thousands of students. Despite the amazing efforts and impact of our teachers, our pipeline is dwindling and will not come even close to meeting the demand.

Yet North Carolina’s beginning teachers make $37,000 on the state salary schedule. In May , the state Senate proposed a budget that only includes a 4.5% average raise over 2 years with only $250 for our teachers with 15+ years of experience.

While the budgets presented by the state House and governor have stronger compensation proposals, a final budget has yet to be passed by the legislature and the recommended conference compensation has not yet been shared.

Budgets matter. No business would start the fiscal year without a budget. Yet, once again our school districts are beginning their year without a budget. They do not know how much money they will have, but they are expected to be prepared to serve every child.

Uncertainty around funding hampers school districts' ability to hire staff, update curriculum and implement programs that ensure our students’ success. School districts are multi-million dollar enterprises (often the largest employer in each county), yet they must go into the year without full knowledge of what they can spend to educate their students, which is further complicated by the cliff from COVID relief.

Neglecting our public school students compromises their futures and the future of our state overall. It is critical that our state leaders focus their attention on policies to support every child’s academic, emotional, and physical well-being.

We must unite in our commitment to a high-quality education for ALL kids that leads to a healthy and prosperous future for our state. Kids matter.

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