The alleged threat is the passage of school-choice legislation that would weaken teachers’ unions and help the state’s families.
The alleged threat is the passage of school-choice legislation that would weaken teachers’ unions and help the state’s families.
I n a May 22 video statement, Democratic North Carolina governor Roy Cooper declared a “state of emergency” for public education in his state. While this may have sounded alarming, the reality is that the governor’s proclamation was little more than political theater, aimed at scoring points against his Republican opponents and virtue-signaling to special-interest groups that he is opposed to proposals to cut taxes and expand North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program — a school-voucher program.
Governor Cooper’s publicity stunt was inappropriate for a state executive for several reasons. First, his strange use of violent language was not befitting of a public official seeking reasonable debate. His heated rhetoric only inflames the situation and creates further divisions between political parties. Who, exactly, was more convinced by Cooper’s arguments when he said, “It’s clear that the Republican legislature is aiming to choke the life out of public education” or that tax cuts will drop “an atomic bomb on public education”?
Leaders need to use measured and appropriate language when discussing contentious issues, and Cooper’s use of hyperbolic statements only undermines the seriousness of our K–12 education crisis. Public-education funding, vouchers, and teacher pay are serious topics. His language was not.
Moreover, his declaration of a state of emergency over education funding was not founded on any actual physical emergency. Such declarations are typically reserved for situations such as natural disasters or civil unrest, and their use in this instance serves only to virtue-signal. While there are competing visions for K–12 education in North Carolina, it is not a crisis that requires such drastic language or measures. A governor who kept the Old North State under a Covid-induced state of emergency for 888 days should not be so flippant about using that term. There are still businesses and families reeling from his last state of emergency.
Cooper’s statement and fake “state of emergency” reminded me of Fonzie jumping the shark. The governor’s actions aimed to capture attention and generate publicity rather than to communicate a sincere effort to address problems such as failing schools, bullying, and third-graders who can’t read. Even if he disagrees with conservatives on education issues, nothing about his stunt was constructive, and his language was bombastic and vague enough to fan flames.
When a lawmaker, especially an executive, uses sophomoric political theater to respond to a legitimate public-policy challenge, it creates a dangerous situation. By invoking vague language and misusing words, Cooper has opened the door to misinterpretation and miscommunication between government officials, political parties, and voters. This ambiguity ultimately undermines the effectiveness of the government and leads to distrust among citizens, which Martin Gurri, in his book The Revolt of the Public, describes as “a crisis of authority.”
Governor Cooper has a particularly long history of speaking vaguely and ominously about North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program, which Republican legislators seek to expand. The proposed expansion of the program would allow all students in the state to receive a scholarship to attend the school of their choice, regardless of income level. It is the state’s first pass at a universal voucher program. A new distinction of the program is that the funding would be on a sliding scale, with the highest amount going to students from households at 100 percent of the free- and reduced-lunch income-eligibility level. The program would no longer require students to demonstrate public-school enrollment or an alternative to qualify. Instead, they and their families would have to establish residency in North Carolina through a verification system.
Cooper’s primary criticism of the Opportunity Scholarship program and participating private schools is bound to his use of the word “unaccountable.” Setting aside that Governor Cooper sent one of his children to one of these “unaccountable” schools, his argument is misleading. Private schools that receive vouchers must administer nationally standardized tests or other measures of student achievement and make these results available for annual inspection by state-government officials. Additionally, private schools must establish a minimum score that students must achieve to graduate from high school. These standards ensure that private schools are accountable for their students’ progress and achievement.
Furthermore, private schools are accountable to families. If parents believe their children are not receiving a quality education, they will not continue sending them to that school. This personal accountability is far more effective than the bureaucratic, top-down accountability that characterizes many public schools.
While public schools in North Carolina are required to report on progress and student achievement, their accountability ends there. Traditional public schools lack the personal accountability of schools of choice (typically private and charter) and often fail to make substantive changes when progress is lacking. This lack of accountability harms students and their families.
Ultimately, Cooper is losing this argument. The tide has clearly turned from an archaic Prussian education model to “backpack funding,” in which education dollars follow the child regardless of their school.
In declaring a “state of emergency” for public education in North Carolina, Governor Cooper may have intended to draw attention to what he sees as flaws in the Republican education proposal. However, his use of publicity stunts and tired arguments does a disservice to students and families who would benefit from the increased educational options provided by the Opportunity Scholarship program and tax cuts. Instead, North Carolina’s leaders should focus on creating an education system that is genuinely accountable to families and provides the best possible outcomes for all students. Regardless of party, all lawmakers should fund students and not jump sharks.