FORUM
Enough is enough at the N.C. General Assembly
Chris
Fitzsimon
Guest
Columnist
Sen. Tom
Apodaca was
partially right
Wednesday
afternoon
when he
lamented the
inability of
- legislative
leaders toreach
a final agreement on a state budget six
weeks after it was due and just days before
schools start across North Carolina with
funding for teachers and teacher assistants
still up in the air.
"Enough is enough," Apodaca bel
lowed on the Senate floor.
But then he urged his colleagues to
vote against a resolution to keep govern
ment operating for another two weeks
while negotiators try to come up with a
final version of a spending plan for the
next two years.
Apodaca apparently was ready to shut
down state government out of frustration
with House leaders, but that's no solution
and only a handful of his fellow Senators
agreed with him. The continuing budget
resolution passed and lawmakers have two
more weeks to pass a budget.
It wasn't supposed to be this way of
course. Republicans promised a more
transparent and efficient government when
they took over and they have been running
the General Assembly for five years and
have been working with a Republican gov
ernor for the last three.
Efficiency and transparency have hard
ly been hallmarks of their reign.
Supporters of the Republican majority
have been scrambling to circulate a chart
showing that past legislatures have often
missed the June 30th budget deadline, and
that's true.
But the chart also shows that this is
already the latest budget in 13 years and
with one exception, the latest two-year
budget since at least 1961.
And's it not just a show of ineptness
and inefficiency. The delay has real conse
?riawi >?- -i 1 1
quences as school officials are getting
ready for students to return next week with
no idea how many teachers or teacher
assistants they can afford to pay.
The Senate budget slashes 8,500 TAs
while providing more funding for teachers
to reduce class size in early grades while
the House budget leaves TAs in the class
room and provides an across the board
salary increase.
TAs are also bus drivers at many
schools, causing many principals to won
der how they will get students to campus if
the Senate budget prevails and teacher
assistants are laid off.
And Apodaca's thinks he's frustrated.
The budget impasse and two-week
extension of the continuing resolution also
come after lawmakers took an unprece
dented week of vacation in early July after
missing the budget deadline and after leg
inc roucy wau.n
islative leaders attended conferences in
San Diego and Boston while the budget
was overdue.
And to make matters worse, Apodaca
and his fellow Senators unveiled a series
of unwise and controversial constitutional
amendments last week and rushed them
through committee without a public hear
ing or even testimony about what the
amendments would mean for the state.
The most controversial one. the so
called Taxpayer Bill of Rights, would
place artificial spending limits on future
legislatures and would threaten funding for
education, teacher pay, early childhood
programs and other vital state services.
The full Senate passed the regressive
amendments on to the House and they are
now part of the swirl of activity that dom
inates a General Assembly as it careens
towards an eventual budget agreement and
adjournment.
No one saw the constitutional amend
ment package coming. No one had a
chance to prepare for the committee dis
cussion of proposals that could dramatical
ly change North Carolina for the next gen
eration.
Senate leaders simply decided to rush
it through while budget negotiations were
proceeding, forcing House leaders to
respond and even hold a Republican
Caucus meeting to discuss the amend
ments.
And the Senate's not the oily playing
dangerous and nontransparen^ames.
Rep. Rob Bryan is working behind the
scenes on legislation pushed by national
right-wing forces that could turn over
struggling public schools to for-profit
charter school operators who would have
the freedom to fire all the teachers.
That proposal has yet to be unveiled
publicly and could appear at any moment,
with no time for thorough debate or public
input.
It's time to stop all the secret scurrying
around and slamming never before seen
legislation through committees and floor
votes.
It's time to pass a budget that keeps
TAs in the classroom and gives teachers a
meaningful raise and adequately funds
state services. And it's time for lawmakers
to go home.
Enough is enough indeed.
Chris Fitzsimon, founder and execu
tive director of NC Policy Watch, writes
the daily Fitzsimon File, delivers a radio
commentary broadcast on WRAL-FM and
hosts "News and Views," a weekly radio
news magazine that airs on multiple sta
tions across North Carolina. Contact him
at chris@ncpolicywatch.com.
Lawmakers should consider the impact of no
teacher assistants and the effect of vouchers
Ronda J.
Gordon
Guest
Columnist
As a school
social worker,
my goal is to
make sure that
each child I
come in con
tact with has
an opportunity
? to graduate and
is ready for
college or a career. Each day that I walk
into schools, my focus is on everything
and everyone who impacts a child's oppor
tunity for success.
Education serves as the great equalizer
and the foundation on which success is
built. Unfortunately, in North Carolina,
that foundation is crumbling and the future
of our students is in jeopardy. It is the right
of every child in this state to have a sound,
basic education, but without adequate
funding and resources, they are being set
up for failure.
Our lawmakers, as they work to final
ize a budget, need to strongly consider the
impact of two very important components
- how schools will function without
teacher assistants and the effect opportuni
ty scholar
ships will
have on the
educational
system as a
whole.
Contrary
to what some
may think,
our teacher
assistants are
a vital part of the school community. They
not only provide one-on-on instructional
time for students who need it, but they per
form various screenings and assessments
with students, which assist teachers with
classroom instruction. These highly quali
fied professionals, many of whom live in
the communities in which they work, are
part of a school's educational team and are
committed to inspiring students' natural
curiosity, imagination, and desire to leam.
Many of them not only serve in the class
room, also on the school buses and are
responsible for safely transporting our
children to and from school!
Now for a discussion on opportunity
scholarships. The N.C. Supreme Court has
ruled that
public
money can
be used for
private
schools,
despite what
the N.C.
Constitution
states. To
add injury to
insult, those on Jones Street are proposing
additional funding to ramp up this process.
As a public school employee, I witness
firsthand the great things that are happen
ing in the schools in my district and that
students - regardless of their ZIP code,
economic status or educational level - are
thriving. Public schools, unlike private
institutions, open their doors to ALL stu
dents. Public schools are held to rigorous
standards. Educators must be certified, and
assessments have been put in place to
ensure students are on grade level. These
state-mandated requirements and account
ability measures unfortunately do not
apply to private schools.
As 1 continue to ponder all of this, I
often question ...Who will be the gate
keeper for private schools? Who will be
committed to the success of students? Whc
will ensure they receive support service?
like health, nutrition and transportation';
Who will ensure that teachers have profes
sional development opportunities and the
resources they need? Who is going to hold
private schools accountable? Like me, I'm
sure many educators find themselves in the
same situation I am; without answers.
From my experiences as an educatoi
over the past 15 years, I know that our stu
dents deserve a better hand than they are
being dealt. North Carolina was once a
public education beacon and the light thai
once shone brightly is fading. It's time thai
we all face the music and commit to right
ing the ship before it sinks, or our children
will be the ones who drown without evei
having a chance to reach for a life jacket
Saving them is going to have to begin with
an education system that is fully funded
provides the proper resources, and recruit?
and retains education professionals whc
are adequately trained and compensated.
Time is of the essence and we have nc
more of it to waste!
"Contrary to what
some may think, our
teacher assistants are a
vital part of the school
community."
Julian Bond, an iconic jewel, will be sorely missed
Jennifer
Farmer
Guest
Columnist
The
Southern Poverty Law
Center today [Sunday,
Aug. 16] announced that
Mr. Horace Julian Bond
succumbed to a brief ill
ness on Saturday, August
15. The national racial jus
tice organization,
Advancement Project,
released the following
statement regarding the
passing of the long-time
civil rights leader: ,
?Advancement Project
Co-Director Judith Browne
Dianis said: "A man of wis
dom, courage and strong
conviction, Mr. Bond was
an iconic jewel who will be
sorely missed. From co
founding the Student
Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee and the
Southern Poverty Law
Center, to serving as a state
legislator in the Georgia
I . I
State Senate and the
Georgia House of
Representatives, to his
decade-long tenure at the
helm of the NAACP, Mr.
Bond was an impactful
leader, educator and civil
rights activist. While many
were never his formal stu
dents at the many colleges
and universities where he
taught and lectured -
Harvard, American
University, Drexel, The
University of Pennsylvania
- we are all beneficiaries of
his enduring lessons on
organizing against injustice
and structural racism."
?Advancement Project
Co-Director Penda D. Hair
said: "As veteran civil
rights attorneys committed
to ensuring a more just
democracy for all, we
stood and stand in awe of
Mr. Bond. In reflecting on
the 50th anniversary of the
Voting Rights Act, I am
reminded of Mr. Bond's
unyielding work to make
American democracy live
up to its promise. He was
one of only a few voices in
America who never
wavered from that mission.
Notably, nis commitment
to racial justice was not
confined to the United
States. Julian Bond cham
pioned the cause of
oppressed people every
where, including in South
Africa, where he vocally
?
?
opposed apartheid. He
should be remembered as
an internationalist, human
rights activist and civil
rights icon. And the nation
should remember that we
are heirs of his work,
which is both our shared
inheritance and our shared
responsibility."
?Advancement Project
Managing Director and
General Counsel Edward
A. Hailes said: "In all
respects, Julian Bond was
legendary. In 1968, he was
the youngest person, and
the first African-American,
to have his name placed
into nomination for Vice
President. He withdrew
because he didn't meet the
constitutional requirement
of being at least 35 years
old. Regardless of the for
mal title he held, Julian
Bond continued fighting
for marginalized communi
ties. It is on his shoulders
that young leaders, who
have ushered in unprece
dented focus and attention
on police interactions with
communities of color,
stand."
?Advancement Project
Managing Director for
Communications Jennifer
R. Farmer said: "Many
people recognize Mr. Bond
as a civil rights activist, but
to me, he is revered as a
strategic communicator,
)
having served as communi
cations director for the
Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee
and host of America's
Black Forum, one of the
longest running syndicated
television shows in history.
To great effect, he used
communications as an
organizing and public edu
cation tool to highlight
injustices, shift public
opinion and secure impor
tant policy wins for com
munities of color. I've
always believed communi
cations professionals can
deliver the impossible. Mr.
Bond is case in point."
Advancement Project is
a multi-racial civil rights
organization. Founded by
a team of veteran civil
rights lawyers in 1999.
Advancement Project was
created to develop and
inspire community-based
solutions based on the
same high quality legal
analysis and public educa
tion campaigns that pro
duced the landmark civil
rights victories of earlier
eras. This commentary
comes out of Washington,
DC.
\
Former NAACP chairman Julian Bond poses back
stage at the 41st NAACP Image Awards on Friday,
Feb. 26,2010, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt
Sayles)