Last week, Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly decided to challenge a court ruling on pre-kindergarten access could lead to an appeal of the landmark Leandro school-quality case.
A recent court ruling overturned the Republican's attempt to charge the parents of at-risk children a premium fee to send their 4 year olds to pre-K programs offered by public schools. Now, in GOP challenge to that ruling, Senate Republican leader Phil Berger's chief of staff said in a memo to Senate Republicans that, by appealing the ruling, the GOP’s ultimate goal of overturning the Leandro case could be a possible benefit of such action.
Governor Perdue acted swiftly in response to the court ruling by issuing an executive order restoring the high standards and accessibility of the ‘More at Four’ program for all at-risk children. Sen. Berger's Chief of Staff's reaction was to personally insult the Governor by suggesting that she is a 2-year old who needs to attend day care. Shameful.
Republicans clearly believe that slashing schools budgets, eliminating pre-k programs for as-risk children and decimating our public colleges and universities are all things to laugh about—Democrats don't think there is anything funny about this destructive agenda.
This effort by the GOP is nothing more than a Trojan horse designed to turn back the clock on decades of progress and excellence in North Carolina’s public education system. I have no doubt that the ultimate goal for the Republicans is to overturn the Leandro case, de-fund our schools and completely dismantle public education in North Carolina.
The Leandro case is the legal foundation that provides for a sound basic education for every public school student in North Carolina. By attempting to overturn the case, Republicans in the General Assembly are attempting to return to an era of extreme inequality in public education.
You don’t have to look far to find journalists, citizens and experts from all across the state who not only support the ‘More at Four’ program; they also oppose overturning the Leandro case. It’s destructive, it’s immoral and it’s against everything that we stand for in North Carolina.
It has become painfully clear that Tillis, McCrory, Berger and their allies in the General Assembly are out of control and must be stopped—Speaker Thom Tillis was even quoted recently as saying that he will "do whatever the hell he wants".
A simple penny would have would have prevented the Tillis, McCrory and Berger team cuts to pre-K programs like More at Four, and would have protected teacher and teaching assistant positions in the classroom. Make no mistake about it, the Republicans are dead-set on turning the clock back on North Carolina—unfortunately for them, Democrats will simply not let it happen.
Sincerely,
David Parker
Chair, North Carolina Democratic Party
Christie Cameron, the clerk of the N.C
