NC governor declares ’emergency’ over school choice bill.

Governor Declares State of Emergency for Public Education in North Carolina

Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) says the Tar Heel State is facing an emergency for public education as lawmakers there are poised to pass a universal school choice bill with enough votes to override his veto.

The Democratic governor issued a state of emergency Monday that accused Republicans in the state legislature of trying to “choke the life out of public education” by enacting a universal school choice bill. The bill, he said, would drain precious funds from the state’s public schools.

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“I’m declaring this state of emergency because you need to know what’s happening,” Cooper said in a video address. “If you care about public schools in North Carolina, it’s time to take immediate action and tell them to stop the damage that will set back our schools for a generation.”

With a Republican veto-proof majority in the legislature, Cooper is largely powerless in his bid to stop the bill, which boasts the support of the entire Republican caucus. The governor’s website currently bears a red alert banner urging North Carolina residents to call their state representatives.

“Public school superintendents are telling me they’ll likely have to cut schools to the bone — eliminate early college, AP and gifted courses, art, music, sports — if the legislature keeps draining funds to pay for private schools and those massive tax breaks,” Cooper said. “If they get their way, our State Board of Education will be replaced by political hacks who can dictate what is taught — and not taught — in our public schools. North Carolina schools need rigorous science, reading, and math classes, not more politicians policing our children’s curriculum with book bans, elimination of science courses, and more.”

Education expert Jason Bedrick of the Heritage Foundation suggests that the governor should consider calling a state of emergency for the current state of North Carolina’s public schools, not because of what the legislature is going to do.

Opposing Views

• Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children, blasted Cooper’s actions, saying the governor “can go cry about it” because his state of emergency “will do nothing to stop the school choice tsunami from empowering all families with education freedom.”
• Bedrick argues that if Gov. Cooper wants to call a state of emergency about education, it should be because four in 10 North Carolina 4th graders scored ‘below basic’ in reading last year — the worst scores in 15 years — not because the legislature is empowering families to choose the learning environments that work best for their children.

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The battle over school choice in North Carolina continues to heat up, with Governor Cooper declaring a state of emergency for public education. While Republicans in the state legislature push for a universal school choice bill, Cooper argues that it will drain funds from public schools and harm the education system for generations to come. With a veto-proof majority, the governor’s power to stop the bill is limited, but he urges North Carolina residents to take action and call their state representatives. As the debate rages on, education experts and advocates on both sides offer their opposing views on the issue.

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