Ringing the School Bell
July 31, 2012 - by
One of Walter Dalton’s biggest challenges is winning Independent women voters in the Charlotte media market. How does he do that? Take them to school.
Dalton can go after on education Pat McCrory two ways.
One, McCrory will rubber-stamp whatever the legislature does to the public schools.
Senator Josh Stein did a good job summing up the damage so far: $650 million in K-12 cuts, eliminating 6,400 teachers and teacher assistants at the same time student enrollment is increasing; eliminating proven programs like the Teaching Fellows; cuts in funding for textbooks, technology in the classroom, PTAs and counselors for children in military families. Plus the biggest cuts ever to the UNC system, cuts in financial aid, cuts in the community colleges and increases in tuition.
That’s a lot in two years. What’s next?
Two, show that McCrory favors charter schools and private schools at the expense of public schools.
A lot more families have kids in public schools. How do they feel about taking money from their kids’ schools to support charter schools – or, worse, to subsidize families that send their children to private school? (That’s a subsidy Republicans like.)
Four years ago, there were a lot of Obama-McCrory voters in the Charlotte market. Dalton can’t let that happen again.
Ringing the School Bell
July 31, 2012/
One of Walter Dalton’s biggest challenges is winning Independent women voters in the Charlotte media market. How does he do that? Take them to school.
Dalton can go after on education Pat McCrory two ways.
One, McCrory will rubber-stamp whatever the legislature does to the public schools.
Senator Josh Stein did a good job summing up the damage so far: $650 million in K-12 cuts, eliminating 6,400 teachers and teacher assistants at the same time student enrollment is increasing; eliminating proven programs like the Teaching Fellows; cuts in funding for textbooks, technology in the classroom, PTAs and counselors for children in military families. Plus the biggest cuts ever to the UNC system, cuts in financial aid, cuts in the community colleges and increases in tuition.
That’s a lot in two years. What’s next?
Two, show that McCrory favors charter schools and private schools at the expense of public schools.
A lot more families have kids in public schools. How do they feel about taking money from their kids’ schools to support charter schools – or, worse, to subsidize families that send their children to private school? (That’s a subsidy Republicans like.)
Four years ago, there were a lot of Obama-McCrory voters in the Charlotte market. Dalton can’t let that happen again.