Western North Carolina Local Leaders and Educators Call on Legislators to Prioritize Storm Recovery Instead of Millions More for Taxpayer-Funded Private School Vouchers

RALEIGH

Nov 18, 2024

Today, Western North Carolina local leaders and educators are speaking out and asking the legislature to prioritize substantial investments in storm recovery instead of locking in billions of taxpayer dollars on private school vouchers.

"The people of Western North Carolina need our support right now to continue recovery and rebuilding their communities," said Governor Roy Cooper. "When legislators return to session, they must prioritize helping our neighbors in Western North Carolina instead of sending hundreds of millions more in taxpayer dollars to private school vouchers."

Hurricane Helene was the most devastating storm to ever hit North Carolina and caused $53 billion in damages, more than three times greater than Hurricane Florence. Western North Carolina faces major funding needs to continue rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Despite these immediate needs from Western North Carolina, Republican legislators plan to spend $463 million in taxpayer dollars on private school vouchers for the wealthy.

Below are statements from Western North Carolina educators calling on the North Carolina General Assembly to invest in the region as they recover and rebuild from Hurricane Helene.

"Public schools in western North Carolina need as much monetary assistance as possible. The General Assembly needs to focus on rebuilding and renovating schools as well as funding programs to augment learning loss. The students and employees have endured great hardships and traumas. Mental health services and additional resources are crucial at this time. These are traumas that will last a lifetime. Early intervention is critical. Any additional funding needs to be used to serve our public school students, faculty and staff. We need to take care of our own before designating money to expand private school vouchers."

• Wendi Craven, Burke County School Board Member

"Our legislators have an opportunity to help the many counties in western North Carolina that were devastated and impacted by Hurricane Helene. The opportunity resides in utilizing tax payer dollars to begin the long and arduous task of recovery and rebuilding our western counties instead of using tax payer dollars to fund private school vouchers for our most wealthy families. The urgent funding priority should be laser-focused on recovery measures and long-term rebuilding efforts to ensure that our western counties are supported and fully funded so that wide-spread recovery can begin now and in the years to come. This funding effort and prioritization of tax dollars will bolster our economy in the far west and will allow initial recovery steps to occur for those that were impacted the most."

• Josh Lynch, Macon County Schools Superintendent

"Mitchell County Schools appreciate the release of funds to help up to this point. We are very appreciative of all funding, volunteers, and response. We also know there will and may be things that FEMA/Insurance will not cover. Transportation costs are increasing due to back tracking on roads that are not accessible to pass through. Child Nutrition and Custodial cost has increased due to hour adjustments. Electrical and natural gas costs have increased due to facilities being used for multipurpose uses. Personnel added as bus monitors, outside bathroom monitors and counseling hires added increased cost in personnel. We added backup emergency services such as Starlink's and other equipment to be able to return to school. Hopefully all damage will be covered by insurance and FEMA but we do not know at this point. We hope that our legislators will release more funding to cover the cost to return and also to prepare for future emergencies."

• Chad Calhoun, Mitchell County Schools Superintendent

"When Helene devastated Western North Carolina, our public schools and staff were critical to the recovery and response. From helicopters landing on our athletic fields to housing first responders, public schools across WNC were pivotal in supporting our community throughout this crisis. Even public school communication tools became vital in sharing critical information directly with families in the hours and days after Helene.

The critical role that public schools play in our community must not be overlooked or taken for granted. We are always here and we serve every child, that is until we are not. House Bill 10 threatens to divert nearly half a billion dollars to private and religious school vouchers, even as Western North Carolina's public schools struggle to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Our state legislature must prioritize public education by rejecting the harmful voucher expansion and instead invest in the schools that form the backbone of our mountain communities and communities across the state.

Our 28 counties need the support of our legislators on both sides of the aisle more than ever as we work to rebuild our communities and educate our students."

• Dr. Maggie Fehrman, Asheville City Schools Superintendent

"Clay County Schools, a district that, while spared significant damage from Hurricane Helene, has been steadfast in supporting our neighboring districts that were not as fortunate. I've seen firsthand that communities in Western North Carolina are resilient, but the storm has magnified the needs of our public schools. These needs demand immediate attention and should take precedence over initiatives like private school voucher expansion, which diverts critical public funds away from the very schools that serve the majority of our children. I urge legislators to champion the needs of public schools in our region and focus on legislative priorities that uplift all children, especially in times of recovery."

• Melissa Godfrey, Clay County Schools Superintendent

Expanding private school vouchers would disproportionally hurt rural counties, including many in Western North Carolina where access to private education is limited and public schools serve as the backbone of communities. Twenty-eight counties have only one or no private schools participating in the voucher program, eight of which are disaster-declared counties.

While North Carolina currently faces significant recovery needs, the Office of State Budget and Management has forecasted a budget shortfall in the near future. There will be little or no revenue growth due to tax cuts for the wealthy passed by Republican leadership, creating a budget hole in 2025-27. OSBM has also projected that the cost of current services, including funding for our public schools, is expected to grow and exceed revenue in the coming years. As the budget shortfalls nears, providing funding for storm recovery will become more difficult.

In October, Governor Cooper shared his state budget recommendation to help rebuild the western part of the state. Governor Cooper's proposed budget recommends an initial $3.9 billion package to begin rebuilding critical infrastructure, homes, businesses, schools, and farms damaged during the storm. The legislature failed to pass the amount outlined in the Governor's budget.

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Related Topics:

• Education

Jordan Monaghan

[email protected]

(919) 814-2100