In the News

As the source for parental school choice in our state, PEFNC is often asked to provide commentary on educational choice.

To reverse declining attendance, WNC districts divert time and money toward self-promotion

By , Asheville Citizen Times

This school year will be David Proffitt’s 31st at Jackson County Public Schools, but his first on Instagram.


1 in 5 NC students don’t attend traditional public schools, new figures show

By Keung Hui, News & Observer

Raleigh, NC - Twenty percent of North Carolina’s students are not attending the state’s traditional public schools — and that percentage is expected to continue rising.


Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article232761337.html#storylink=cpy

Virtual charter school gets legislative approval to grow, but opponents push for a veto

By Alex Granados, EducationNC senior reporter

— The Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would, among other things, get rid of the enrollment cap on one of the state’s two virtual charter schools and allow it to grow its population by 20 percent annually if it so chose.


LONG: Students are flocking to private schools where teachers are paid less, but why?

North State Journal

You can pretty much guarantee that year after year, teachers’ unions and their allies will make one claim:

—Our public school teachers are not paid enough and our public schools are underfunded.

It is happening right now in North Carolina, but there is something blatantly missing from the teacher pay debate.

 


Grandmother Asks Governor Not to Scrap School Choice Program

The Daily Signal

A North Carolina woman with three grandchildren in the state’s school voucher program says she isn’t too proud to beg the governor not to reduce funding and phase it out, as he proposes.


Former lawmakers join NC school choice group's board

Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, a state school choice group, has announced two new members to the organization’s board of directors. Joel Ford represented Mecklenburg County as a Democrat for three terms in the North Carolina Senate and Marilyn Avila represented Wake County as a Republican for five terms in the North Carolina House.


Governor releases budget proposal

by Alex Granados, EdNC.org

Governor Roy Cooper released his 2019-21 budget proposal today, including an average 9.1 percent teacher pay increase, elimination of new opportunity scholarships, a revamped principal pay schedule, and more. 

The release comes just one day after the Governor presented highlights from his education budget to a group of middle school educators as a sign of “respect” for teachers.


Charter school growth forces closure of two Granville public schools

Oxford, N.C. (WRAL) — As neighboring school districts work to build more schools to accommodate growth, Granville County Schools is closing down two campuses.


NC charter schools have nearly doubled since 2011. Some say it’s time for a new cap.

The number of charter schools in North Carolina has nearly doubled since a state cap was lifted in 2011, prompting a debate about whether it’s time to put a new limit on these non-traditional public schools.


Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article225299125.html#storylink=cpy

Raises? Supplies? More jobs? What teachers and state workers want in NC budget talks

For the 18 years Jasmine Lauer taught English at Raleigh’s Sanderson High School, her classroom was stocked with the same textbooks she herself studied from when she was a high school student.


Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article224774245.html#storylink=cpy