Education Quote by Jane Mayer
““To make up for the projected billion-dollar-a-year shortfall created by the many new tax cuts he helped to deliver, something had to give. So for savings, the legislators turned to the one institution that had distinguished North Carolina from many other southern states—its celebrated public education system. The assault was systematic. They authorized vouchers for private schools while putting the public school budget in a vise and squeezing. They eliminated teachers’ assistants and reduced teacher pay from the twenty-first highest in the country to the forty-sixth. They abolished incentives for teachers to earn higher degrees and reduced funding for a successful program for at-risk preschoolers. Voters had overwhelmingly preferred to avoid these cuts by extending a temporary one-penny sales tax to sustain educational funding, but the legislators, many of whom had signed a no-tax pledge promoted by Americans for Prosperity, made the cuts anyway.””
About This Quote
Source Article: The New York Times, “The Education Cutback” 2022
Tax cuts led legislators to slash public education funding, using vouchers and budget cuts despite voter opposition.
In simple terms: Legislators cut school funding despite voter support for taxes.
Advocate for sustainable education funding.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- school board meetings
- community advocacy
- legislative hearings
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can citizens influence education budget decisions?
- What alternatives exist to protect school funding?
Political pressure may limit reform options.