Democratic board, GOP superintendent fight over how to spend NC school COVID-19 money
The federal government gave North Carolina $39 million in coronavirus relief money. But the Democratic majority on the State Board of Education has other uses for the money than just COVID-19.
The state board voted 7-3 Thursday to approve a spending plan using the coronavirus relief money for things such as services for special-education students and hiring staff to work with low-performing schools. This drew objections from Republican State Superintendent Mark Johnson, who said the money should be focused on disaster relief, such as helping pay for childcare for families of teachers.
“This is federal disaster relief funding, and it is meant to be sent out in a way that supports children and families and we need to use equity when we do this,” Johnson said Thursday before the vote.
But Democratic board members argued that schools have pressing needs beyond the coronavirus pandemic. Board members repeatedly pointed to the long-running Leandro school funding case, where multiple judges have declared that the state is falling short in educating at-risk students.
“There are huge needs here, and there’s got to be a selection of priorities. And the selection of priorities from the lens of the board has to be geared to some degree through the immediate crisis, the equity lens, the Leandro needs and how we can best serve our children,” said state board vice chairman Alan Duncan.
This isn’t the first time that the board and Johnson have fought since he was elected in 2016. But the board has split more on issues in recent months.
The six members appointed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper voted for the plan, along with board chairman Eric Davis, who was appointed by former GOP Governor Pat McCrory. The other three members appointed by McCrory voted no.
Disagreement on how much to provide for childcare
The state’s K-12 public schools got $390 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help them deal with the impact of COVID-19. Ninety percent will go directly to schools, with the other 10%, or $39 million, set aside as a reserve.
School reopening plans could have students spend part of or all the time learning from home next school year. The state Department of Public Instruction developed a plan for the $39 million that included using $15 million to help schools pay childcare for families when students are using remote learning.
“We know that if we have to use Plan B or Plan C, we are going to face an extraordinary challenge with parents who rely on their children being in school for them to go to work,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the money would help working families, particularly teachers.
On Friday, Wake County school leaders said they’re working with different groups to try to provide affordable childcare options should students return to school on a rotating schedule.
Duncan, chairman of the state board’s business and operations committee, developed a revised plan for the $39 million. He said much of the two plans are the same, although he only included $4.5 million for childcare.
Duncan and other board members said other federal funding will be available to help with childcare.
The board plan also has items not recommended by DPI, including $10 million for services to exceptional children and $4.5 million to hire turnaround coaches to work with low-performing schools.
Board members said these services would be particularly needed to carry out the Leandro court decision.
Leandro needs
The Leandro school funding case began in 1994 when school districts in five counties — Hoke, Halifax, Robeson, Vance and Cumberland — took the state to court.
In 1997, the state Supreme Court declared that the state constitution guarantees every child “an opportunity to receive a sound basic education.” Then in 2004, the state Supreme Court held that the state’s efforts to provide a sound basic education to poor children were inadequate.
In January, Superior Court Judge David Lee ordered the state to “work expeditiously and without delay to take all necessary actions” to improve the state’s education system. The state board filed a plan in June calling for $427 million in new state education funding this year as the first phase of an eight-year plan.
But the Republican-led General Assembly will adjourn for the summer without providing most of the new money. Lawmakers cited the revenue shortfall caused by the coronavirus slowdown.
State board member JB Buxton said spending the money on Leandro needs is “fully consistent with the emergency we’re in” and would “be in compliance with what we as a state are trying to do in a 25-year old school finance case.”
Johnson called Leandro a “huge priority,” but he said the board should be working with state lawmakers to get more funding.
“It’s also kind of concerning that it sounds like we’re using federal disaster relief funds to fill in on promises that were made in a Leandro action plan that I don’t know if it was publicly discussed or voted on by the State Board of Education,” he said.
This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 3:56 PM.
