BY DEBBIE PAGE

The Mooresville Graded School District Board of Education held a special meeting at East Intermediate School on Friday morning to consider a resolution opposing N.C. House Bill 823/NC Senate Bill 406, which could direct billions of public tax dollars away from public schools to private schools through a universal school voucher program, along with a resolution to advocate for larger teacher and bus driver pay increases.

After Board Chairman Greg Whitfield took a moment to thank all MGSD staff for their parts in an excellent school year, Superintendent Jason Gardner presented the two resolutions for board consideration.

Board member Debbie Marsh said “it is incredibly important that we send a message to our legislators that public money should not be going to private schools, especially when there is no accountability.”

“I think it is contrary to what our founding fathers and our state Constitution intend, and I hope that we will able to approve this resolution and get it quickly to our legislators while they are deliberating on the budget.”

Marsh encouraged residents to reach out as soon as possible as budget bills, including the universal voucher proposal, have passed both the House and the Senate. The two legislative bodies are now in negotiation to iron out differences.

Vice Chair Kerry Pennell urged community members to reach out to their legislative representatives to let them know why they do not support these universal vouchers. “Speak from your heart, let them know how you feel, and just do it quickly before they do take action,” she said.

Gardner noted that the current voucher program has income limits and restrictions about whether the student had previously attended a public school. Both restrictions are removed in new legislation.

“To us, that seems as though we are taking public tax dollars that we have a constitutional responsibility to provide an appropriate education for all of our students in North Carolina and we are funneling that money to students that are presently already in private schools.

“The accountability system for private schools looks nothing like accountability for us. There is no A-F grading system, there isn’t necessarily end of grade or end of course tests, so the way that those schools are measured looks a lot different than the way we are measured, so we would certainly advocate that if public dollars are going to those schools, they should have to follow the same metrics we have to follow,” the superintendent said.

Board member Roger Hyatt, noting the confusing state budget process, explained that a lot of people are not tuned into the ramifications of this bill.

“It’s important that our constituents reach out to those in Raleigh in the hopes that if enough voices speak out, they will hear the cries of those of here on the front lines. Support for public schools is very important,” he said

Though Hyatt has no issue with charter and private schools, “their operation should not be at our expense,” he said.

“It’s constitutionally fundamental that public education be a part of the North Carolina budget, and it seems those emphases are easing away. Every opportunity that we have as a board to stand firm and make our voices heard in Raleigh is important, but it’s more important for our constituents reach out and have their voices heard as well.”

Board member Rakeem Brawley emphasized the uneven playing field that private schools have since they do not have to adhere to the requirements and restrictions that public schools must follow.

He also warned a lot of programs will be cut because of this lost money, which will cause harm to public school students. “We’ve just got to stand a stand as a community,” he said.

Whitfield also expressed concern over constitutional issues with giving public funds to private organizations without accountability and the lack of income restrictions. “Our founding fathers specifically did not want such situations, I believe, to occur,” he said.

UNIVERSAL VOUCHER BILL SPECIFICS

In the resolution, the board pointed out that the North Carolina State Constitution guarantees the opportunity to a sound basic education for all children in North Carolina, which is funded according to Article 9, which states ”the General Assembly shall provide by taxation and otherwise for a general and uniform system of free public schools, which shall be maintained at least nine months in every year, and wherein equal opportunities shall be provided for all students.”

North Carolina courts have upheld that the State of North Carolina, per the Leandro rulings, is not meeting its Constitutional obligation to provide the opportunity for a sound basic education to all public school students.

HB 823/SB 406, or the “Choose Your School, Choose Your Future” bill, is a universal voucher program which will direct billions of dollars of available public funds to private schools, which are not equally available to all students and have no objective oversight process for how they use public dollars.

Also, unlike public schools, private schools can reject students based on criteria established by the private school.

Furthermore, the board asserts that “providing public dollars to four separate schooling options, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, and homeschools, does not provide a ‘uniform’ system of education for all students.”

Additionally, the vastly different mechanisms for oversight and operation of these four education options create an uneven playing field.

The board also points out that access to the various education options is limited to many students based on factors such as transportation and special education needs as well as the ability to provide breakfast and lunch, purchase school supplies, and parental engagement.

The impact on Iredell County schools will be significant. The North Carolina Office of State Budget Management projects Iredell-Statesville Schools and Mooresville Graded School District combined will see its state funding drop by $2,570,944 by the 2026-27 school year if this universal voucher program is enacted.

The estimated loss in state funds to Mooresville Graded School District is $595,709.

When state funding decreases, the percentage of per pupil funding going towards fixed costs, which includes electricity, water, sewer, gas, internet, fuel, and other needs increases, and the percentage of per pupil funding going towards educating students decreases.

When first enacted by the legislature, the opportunity scholarship established an opportunity for students in low-income households to have a choice to attend a private school, but the new program proposed by both chambers removes all income caps.

High-income families that already choose to attend private schools do not need a public school voucher, according to the MGSD resolution.

For all these reasons, “the Mooresville Graded School District Board of Education opposes any voucher bill or budget provision that does not include a household income limit as part of eligibility criteria and does not meet the North Carolina State Constitutional obligation to provide a free and uniform system of public education to ALL students.”

The board also asserts that the North Carolina General Assembly should create a new allotment to cover the fixed costs to operate school buildings that is not included in the per-pupil funding formula if this bill is enacted.

SALARY INCREASE RESOLUTION

The board also asks parents to advocate for higher teacher and bus driver pay as they contact their legislative representatives about the voucher bill.

“This has been the number one priority for us,” Gardner said. “We are still struggling with a workforce issues. We have teacher vacancies, bus driver vacancies, custodial vacancies. We know that pay is an issue.”

He also noted that the proposed Senate budget bill includes a meager $200 raise for teachers with 14 years of experience the first budget year and $50 the second, which he said “seems like a slap in the face.”

“We cannot continue to provide a high quality education for every child without the excellent workforce. Research shows that the number one predictor of student success is a high quality educator in the classroom,” Gardner said. “I feel adamantly that we cannot do that without significant investment in our employees.”

The superintendent also asserted that this is not a money issue at the state level. “North Carolina’s economy is thriving. We have an extremely healthy fund balance. The money is there, and this is taxpayers’ dollars.”

“That’s why it is imperative that our constituents reach out and express that this is where we want our money invested.”

Gardner also noted that the system has invested local money in compensation, with the MGSD supplement for both teachers and non-certified staff ranking 15th in the state, but “we need competitive compensation for our staff” from Raleigh.

Brawley noted the district is losing teachers to districts with higher supplements and that teachers near retirement might stay longer with pay increases. Whitfield agreed, saying the state pay scale almost incentivizes teachers to leave after 20 years because compensation barely increases after that point.

“We need to push to get the teachers what they deserve” for all they do in the classroom and all the many extra duties and responsibilities they take on to care for their students’ needs, added Brawley.

Pennell noted that the proposed increase does not even cover the rate of inflation.

Marsh mentioned a post that morning on a social media site from a young teacher who was struggling to afford a place to live and utilities on her salary and was asking for advice on how to make ends meet.

A family of four living on a teacher’s salary, even with significant years of experience, qualifies for public assistance, she said.

“What the General Assembly is doing in terms of salaries, not just for teachers but everyone in education, is beyond embarrassing and deplorable. It is dangerous. This cannot continue, especially at a time when we have an historic number of vacancies for all positions.”

Marsh implored community members to advocate for teacher and school employee salaries. “Our children deserve way more than what our General Assembly is doing,” she said.

The House budget is much more favorable to educators ($660 million more), so Marsh suggested asking their elected state representatives to pass that version.

Hyatt said teachers are professionals but have not always been treated that way by legislators. He noted that they have taken away benefits such as longevity and master’s degree pay. Because experienced teachers are being passed over for pay increases, they leave.

He also noted that schools employ as many other staff members as they do teachers, and these secretaries, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and maintenance and custodial staff also need to be taken care of.

Board members passed the resolution asking for a 10.2 percent increase in teacher pay to help recruit high-quality, full-time teachers in a competitive market and 9.5 percent increase in bus driver pay over the next two years.

In its resolution, the board noted that inadequate pay is a long-standing issue and that teacher vacancies have increased dramatically. At the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction reported 5,540 teacher vacancies on the first day of classes, a 46 percent increase from the 2021-2022 school year.

Currently, the N.C. Senate budget proposal allocates approximately $407.4 million for pay increases for all school district personnel, compared to the N.C. House proposal of $1.068 billion over the two-year budget cycle, a difference of more than $660 million.

The Senate proposal includes an average 4.5 percent increase in teacher pay over the next two years, but teachers with 14 or more years of experience would get a salary increase of $200 in the first year of the budget cycle and an additional $50 in the second year.

The House’s more generous budget proposal includes a minimum pay increase of 7.5 percent for all school employees, an average 10.2 percent increase for teachers, adding master’s pay back in, and a 9.5 percent boost in salary for bus drivers.

The Senate proposal includes a salary increase of only 2.5 percent over the next two years for school bus drivers.

Districts statewide are facing a crisis because of the school bus driver shortage. At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, 98 of the State’s 115 local superintendents responding to a survey conducted by the N.C. Superintendents Association showed there were 11,297 school staff vacancies across North Carolina, including 1,342 bus drivers.

To advocate for higher pay for its employees, the board unanimously opposed Edition 5 of House Bill 259, “2023 Appropriations Act” and favors Edition 3 of House Bill 259, “2023 Appropriations Act” that includes an average 10.2 percent increase in teacher pay and a 9.5 percent increase in bus driver pay in the budget years 2023-2025.

Iredell County Legislators

♦ Rep. Jeff McNeely – call 919-733-5661 or email jeffrey.McNeely@ncleg.gov
♦ Rep. Grey Mills – call 919-733-5741 or email grey.Mills@ncleg.gov
♦ Rep. Mitchell Setzer – 919-733-4948 or email mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.gov
♦ Sen. Vickie Sawyer – call 919-715-3038 or email vickie.Sawyer@ncleg.gov