Education Town Hall Recap
School's almost back in session, but teacher pay and school funding remain in limbo as NCGA Republicans continue to fail to deliver a budget. In response, Democratic legislators from Buncombe, alongside local educators, held a town hall to highlight the issue on Monday.
North Carolina’s public school funding is among the lowest in the nation, but instead of giving students and educators the resources they need, Republicans are focused on giving your tax dollars to private schools, targeting LGBTQ+ youth, and creating unenforceable districting demands for school boards.
Buncombe County and Asheville City School Boards both passed resolutions in June calling for the prioritization of public schools in this year's state budget, as have at least 38 other school districts across the state.
"We believe it's time for the General Assembly to start building up our public education system rather than tearing it down and make no mistake, they are tearing it down," said State Senator Julie Mayfield at Monday's town hall.
State Rep. Eric Ager spoke about the personal impact the delays have had on him as a parent of a Buncombe County Schools student, and State Rep. Lindsey Prather closed the session with a call to action:
"We now have two major parties in North Carolina, we have a pro-public education party and an anti-public education party. My call to action is, people in North Carolina who are pro-public education, who care about every single student in this state and who believe that every single student in this state deserves an education, we need you to speak up."
Take Action
Until Republicans put vital resources back into our public schools, many teachers go out and spend their own money on school supplies for their classroom -- on average, about $500 each year.
Governor Cooper is hosting a school supply drive through August 31.
Requested supplies include:
- Paper – all types, including copy paper
- Pens and pencils
- Crayons and markers
- Dry erase markers
- USB flash drives
- Spiral notebooks
- Sanitizing wipes
- Tissues
Donations can be dropped off at any State Employees’ Credit Union location.
Join Us
Join us tonight for our monthly general meeting! We'll get started at 6:30 p.m. at Buncombe Dems HQ, and we'll be chatting about upcoming plans, new programs and initiatives, and more. We'll see you there!
Corrections
Last week our original email inadvertently left off two candidates who are running in the Woodfin and Weaverville elections. We offer our apologies to these candidates for this oversight.
Lauren Edgerton is running for a position as Trustee on the Buncombe - Woodfin Sanitary Sewer & Water District.
John M. Chase is running for a position on the Weaverville Town Council.
Additionally, we would like to clarify who is eligible to vote in these municipal elections. Residents within the town limits of Weaverville, Woodfin, and/or Woodfin Water & Sewer District are eligible to vote.
We'll be following up with more detailed information as the election approaches. In the meantime, our 2023 Municipals page has additional information about the election, and we'll be updating this regularly as a one-stop-election-shop.
One Last Item...
At their August 22 meeting, Asheville City Council is planning to consider revisions to some ordinances around panhandling in the city.
As reported, some of the revisions under consideration may include "adding regulations around drivers giving money or other resources from their vehicles", amongst other changes.
You can read more coverage of the proposals here or review the City Council documents on it here.
City Council members have asked for additional community input as they consider what actions to take.
If you are concerned about the impact these changes may have on many in our community, or if you want to voice your support for them, we encourage you to reach out to the Asheville City Council at ashevillenccouncil@ashevillenc.gov.
You can also attend the City Council meeting on August 22 at 5pm. More information is available here.
