Growing up in Greensboro, N.C., I was raised with the understanding that education is vital. It’s meant to make students functional members of society, but in states including North Carolina, the standard of education is not equal for every child. In a 1994 lawsuit that’s still meandering its way through the legal system, then-student Robb Leandro and various local school superintendents from low-income districts sued the state government for not providing the same quality of education in their communities as compared to other counties. When the case first landed in the state Supreme Court, judges ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, arguing that every child in North Carolina deserves to have a basic and sound education for which the state was obligated to provide the “necessary resources.” Until 2017, nothing was done to enforce the decision. Though Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision to appoint an independent consultant group to investigate educational disparity is an important first step to ensure the state can meet the Court’s ruling, there is much more to be done. He must enforce to the fullest extent of the law equal education for every child in North Carolina.
Unequal funding is an especially prevalent issue in North Carolina. A 2018 study by the Public School Forum of North Carolina found that, in the 2015-16 school year, the state’s 10 highest-spending counties allocated an average of $3,103 per student while the lowest 10 averaged $739 per student. This gap manifests itself in the abysmal conditions of some North Carolina public schools: overcrowded classrooms, outdated textbooks and broken climate-control systems.
Geography plays a big role in an individual’s educational experience. In Greensboro, I benefited from growing up in a metropolitan area and having a parent with some college experience; I never thought about whether or not I would get into college, but rather which college I would attend. Many do not have that advantage elsewhere in the state. There are many factors that played into my success, but my location, community and background are huge reasons for my acceptance into college.
While I am grateful for the quality of my education, all children, regardless of their situation, should be able to receive the sound education that I did. Education plays a fundamental democratic role, as it ensures that every individual can become an engaged citizen: without it we could not read, write, think or be able to participate in life or in government. If America wants to meet the high standard of its own democratic ideals, it must iron out the contradictions between the narrative of “all Men are created equal,” and the reality of rampant disparity in America’s educational systems. A Lumbee child in Robeson, N.C., should be receiving the same quality of education as a white one in Charlotte, N.C.
In March 2019, WestEd, the independent educational consultant commissioned by the State Superior Court to investigate North Carolina’s educational disparity, will release their findings. Hopefully Cooper takes decisive action to ensure educational equality, but regardless of what he does, there should be a push for all children to receive a sound education no matter their background. North Carolina has a chance to take the lead on this issue. Let’s hope it’s up to the challenge.
CORRECTION (10/30/18 at 7:34 p.m.): The article incorrectly stated WestEd was commissioned by Gov. Cooper. They were instead commissioned by North Carolina’s State Superior Court.
