WASHINGTON – Members of the North Carolina Association of Educators and President Tamika Walker Kelly are in Washington, joining other local educators, parents, and community leaders to advocate for North Carolina students and our public schools. President Walker Kelly and other North Carolina educators will be lobbying at the offices of North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Tedd Budd.
Yesterday, February 12th, President Walker Kelly joined hundreds of educators, parents, students at a rally, lobbying members of Congress to stand up for students and fight against efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, pass universal vouchers and cut vital services that North Carolina students depend on in our public schools.
WHY IT MATTERS LOCALLY:
Students across North Carolina benefit from programs run by the Department of Education, especially lower-income students in rural, suburban, and urban communities, students who qualify for federal grants or loans to receive career training or attend 2- and 4- year colleges, and students with disabilities. In our community, these proposed cuts would directly affect local schools, impacting funding, educational opportunities, and support systems for students who rely on vital services.
More than 751,000 students in North Carolina benefit from Title I funds from the Department of Education. Our public schools would lose millions in vital funding to hire teachers and other school support staff. In 2022, The five largest school districts in NC received the following amounts in Title I funding:
- Wake County: $30,427,000
- Charlotte Mecklenburg: $44,294,000
- Guilford County: $28,444,000
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools: $20,597,000
- Cumberland County Schools: $19,214,000
Additionally, more than 202,000 North Carolina students benefit from federally funded special education programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The five largest school districts in North Carolina received the following IDEA funding in 2022:
- Wake County: $30,581,000
- Charlotte Mecklenburg: $18,876,00
- Guilford County: $20,772,000
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools: $10,284,000
- Cumberland County Schools: $9,975,000
BACKGROUND:
The Trump administration’s early EOs have already undermined civil rights protections for students, eroded access to essential educational resources, and escalated threats to the foundation of public education. Only Congress has the power to abolish the Education Department, and the vast majority of Congress—including 60 House Republicans—rejected gutting public education last session, knowing it would only hurt students and is deeply unpopular with parents and educators.
