Women of the Hill

 NC public schools are ranked 50th in the nation for investment, along with a severe teacher shortage and stagnating, ridiculously underpaid eduators. Legislators have prioritized tax cuts over school funding, and failed to address the long-running 30+ years Leandro school funding case.  Key factors contributing to the challenges in North Carolina public schools include: • Extremely Low Funding: North Carolina ranks dead last (51st) in the country for school funding effort as a percentage of its GDP, with per-pupil spending significantly below the national average. • Teacher Shortages and Low Pay: NC public schools started the 2025-2026 school year short more than 2,000 teachers, and average teacher salaries are $13,000 below the national average. • Voucher Expansion: Significant funding is being diverted from public schools to private schools through expanded "Opportunity Scholarships" (vouchers) which is contributing to significant enrollment issues with public schools • Failed Legal Mandates (Leandro): The state has not fully complied with the long-standing Leandro court case, which mandates that the state provide every child with an opportunity for a sound basic education. • Impact on Students: Inadequate funding has led to higher, more stressful, and less equitable learning environments, particularly in rural and low-wealth districts. • Declining Lottery Funding: Despite the Education Lottery being marketed to help schools, the percentage of proceeds actually going to public education has dropped from 35% to about 16%.  •  Rural Schools will Close: When there are no public school choices in rural areas, an entire community will be impacted with devastating consequences to individual families and youths. These factors have led to a situation where 50% of polled residents gave NC public schools a grade of C, D, or F in late 2025.   For this state to have many of the finest and historical colleges in the nation, it makes no sense when the K-12 public school education system is a hot mess.