THE. MOMENT. FOR A. MOVEMENT.
Resolution to Improve Student Learning Conditions a non-partisan resolution to improve NC public schools
WHEREAS, Forsyth County is committed to strong public schools that ensure safe, nurturing, and academically rigorous learning environments; and
WHEREAS, educators and school workers are the most valuable resource we have in supporting the social, emotional, and academic growth of our students; and
WHEREAS, education support personnel are the only state employees in NC without a minimum base wage of at least $15/hour; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina’s investment in our students and schools has dropped from 52.5% of our state budget in 1970 to just 39% of the state budget in the 2017-18 school year1; and
WHEREAS, the NC General Assembly has increasingly shifted the burden of Public School funding to local County Governments, which in 2015 appropriated 24% of all funding for NC public schools, compared to 21.5% in 1998;2 and
WHEREAS, Local governments fund 97% of school repair and construction in North Carolina, as the General Assembly has not approved a state bond for K-12 capital needs since 1996, and eliminated the NC Public School Building Capital Fund in 20133; and
WHEREAS, revenue for K-12 school funding can be raised more efficiently and equitably at the statewide level by the General Assembly than by individual counties, yet many rural and lower wealth counties have had to raise local tax rates to support students and school workers;
Therefore Be It Resolved That Winston-Salem | Forsyth County Public School Urges Each legislator representing Forsyth County, and each legislator in the North Carolina General Assembly, to co-sponsor and vote for legislation that:
1) Increases North Carolina’s per-student spending in order to more equitably support student learning throughout our state, including in rural and less wealthy districts, by enacting the reforms listed below; and
2) Provides education support professionals with a living wage by guaranteeing a $15 minimum base pay for all NC school workers, and adjusts the relevant pay scale accordingly to avoid wage compression; and
3) Approves a statewide K-12 school construction and renovation bond that provides Local Education Agencies with much needed funds to address resource inequities in underserved neighborhoods; and
4) Restores state health care benefits for school workers who retire after a lifetime of service to our students, including individuals hired during and after January of 2021, and
5) Expands funding for districts to hire more school nurses, counselors, social workers, psychologists, and instructional assistants, to support the academic, social, and emotional well-being of students.
1 NC Public School Forum 2020 Local School Finance Study (Page 8)
2 North Carolina Center For County Research; NC Association of County Commissioners. 3 North Carolina Center For County Research; NC Association of County Commissioners.
