News
NC Supreme Court will not rehear Leandro education funding case
The North Carolina Supreme Court will not hold a rehearing in the 32-year-long Leandro education funding case.
News
NC Democrats pitch 7% tax on $1M+ incomes to fund public schools
NC House Democrats have filed HB 1073, the Fair Share for Public Schools Act, which would impose a new 7% income tax bracket on individual earnings above $1 million and direct an estimated $1 billion a year in proceeds to the State Public School Fund.
News
Democrat bill: Defund Opportunity Scholarships to fund child care
Four House Democrats have filed HB 1066, the Child Care Stabilization & Affordability Act, which would cut nearly $400 million from North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program over two years and redirect the money to child care subsidies, while restoring a 200% income cap on voucher eligibility.
News
Democrats call for Leandro funding after court loss
Democratic lawmakers marked the start of North Carolina's legislative short session by renewing their push to fund the Leandro school spending plan. Rep. Julie von Haefen, D-Wake, filed House Bill 1017 — her seventh attempt — just three weeks after the state Supreme Court dismissed the 32-year-old Leandro case.
Opinion
Leandro’s end could open door to NC education reform
The end of a 32-year-old court fight over education funding could prompt new action from would-be reformers.
Opinion
Report calls for student-centered overhaul of NC K-12 financing
Funding public education requires efficiency and effectiveness. How the money is spent on education is just as important as how much money is spent.
Opinion
Justices highlight flaws in common Leandro lawsuit narrative
Two of the state Supreme Court's newest members offer a new approach toward a 30-year-old education funding case.
Opinion
Lawmakers urge state’s highest court to revisit Leandro history
State legislative leaders hope the North Carolina Supreme Court's earliest decisions in a long-running education funding dispute will guide its upcoming actions.
Opinion
High-poverty schools already get more funding
In 1994, North Carolinians from five rural counties sued the state government, alleging that the system then used to finance public education was unfair to students in low-income communities and thus unconstitutional. The lead plantiff, then-student Robb Leandro, became the namesake for the long-running litigation, the Leandro case. It’s been through trial courts and appellate...
Opinion
Quick, disband the legislature: It’s an emergency!
We all remember Gov. Roy Cooper’s 888-day state of emergency during the height of COVID. It allowed him to decide which businesses could open and when. It allowed him to decide if schools could be open and under what conditions. In short, it gave him a level of power that no single leader often enjoys...
Opinion
NC courts ignored key legal distinction by ordering transfer of funds in Leandro case
G.K. Chesterton once said that if you see a fence, ask why someone built it before you tear it down. This wise advice also applies to political philosophy. Very often, what may seem like meaningless technicalities in law are actually crucial bulwarks against state overreach and essential to the preservation of liberty. One of these...
Opinion
NC Supreme Court has second chance to uphold separation of powers in Leandro
Five months after its latest major ruling in North Carolina’s Leandro case, the N.C. Supreme Court is on track to consider the long-running education funding dispute again. Perhaps this time the court will display a stronger regard for the constitutional separation of powers.
