Roy Cooper visits Fayetteville's E.E. Smith, criticizes school vouchers and he’s dead right

$17.2 million.

That’s the hole to be blown into the Cumberland County Schools budget by an expanded voucher program that funnels taxpayer money into private schools, according to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who toured E.E. Smith High School on Tuesday morning.

Cooper dropped by the historically Black high school at 10 a.m. as part of a statewide tour he is calling “The Year of Public Schools.” He gifted Student Body President Kenneth Williams with a box of school supplies near the school's flagpole at the front entrance.

The governor saved the tough words on vouchers for later in his visit to Smith, when he spoke in the media center.

Before that, he went to classrooms, escorted by Principal Larry Parker Jr., and was joined by county school officials, school board members, local politicians and reporters.

More:Fayetteville private schools: Millions in taxpayer funds, a Christian worldview

He tried his hand at flying a drone indoors, directed by students in a Drones II class and their instructor, Probyn Thompson. The governor “inspected” a house with the drone; it was a Barbie Dreamhouse.

He also observed a Spanish class and an Air Force ROTC class.

Cooper shares ‘bad statistics’ on teacher pay, vouchers

In the media center, Cooper praised public schools and their role in the community, at one point declaring, “Public schools rock!” to applause from those assembled in the media center. 

Then he broke out what he said were “bad statistics that have begun to build up over the last few years,” and for which he put the blame squarely on the shoulders of Republicans in the state legislature. 

More:Fayetteville area leads in private school vouchers as NC may expand program

He said the state was 46th in the country in beginning teacher pay — 11th out of 12 in the Southeast. The state spends $5,000 less per student than the national average, he said.

In addition to the shortfall for public schools caused by vouchers — whose official designation is Opportunity Scholarships — he said the money goes to schools that do not have to meet the same standards as public schools.

“They don’t have to have licensed teachers, they don’t have to provide meals, transportation, services for the disabled,” the governor said. “They don’t have to tell taxpayers what they teach, how they perform, which students they’re willing to accept or reject, or whether their students even show up at all.” 

Meanwhile, data from several states that have school voucher programs like North Carolina’s show clearly that wealthy and people with children already in private schools are using the newfound taxpayer money to pay private school tuition.

Dr. Marvin Connelly Jr., the county schools superintendent, introduced Cooper in the media center and touted the diversity in public schools. 

“What I love about public schools is our unwavering commitment to accept all students, regardless of whether you grew up in poverty, as I did, or your parents are millionaires,” he said. “You’re welcome in public education.”

The problem with school vouchers

Let’s not kid ourselves about any of this.

The school voucher program as currently structured is bad, and it is bad for the reasons stated directly by Cooper and for the reasons touched on by Connelly. 

Rich people and comfortable families should not be able to use voucher money when they can pay for private school. If they want their children to be educated on the taxpayers’ dime, they should enroll them in public schools.

Private schools using public money should have to adhere to the same standards as public schools. If the goal is quality education for all, why is this even a debatable point? 

Eight in 10 children in the state and 84% of children in Cumberland County attend public schools — both stats brought out by Cooper on Tuesday.

The majority of students in both urban and rural areas will not be able to take advantage of these proffered vouchers because other factors stand in the way of them attending private schools: Lack of transportation, or a way to pay more for gas; a single parent whose work schedule doesn’t allow time for shuttling children back and forth out of their neighborhood; lack of childcare; or a family situation that is simply non-ideal or topsy-turvy. 

Discrimination and hate? Welcome

Private schools, many of which are faith-based in our state  — while under some federal constraints on discrimination — can and have barred entry to LGBTQ families, as a lesbian couple in Fayetteville say happened to them in 2020.

Their staff or affiliated church leaders do not have to be overly particular in spreading the kind of hate that would get public school leaders fired.

Case in point: Bobby Leonard, a pastor in Union County, who recently said if a woman wore shorts and was raped, he would clear the rapist if he sat on a jury. He indicated he had said the same thing before. The school affiliated with his church has reaped $3.6 million in school voucher funding.

Are you kidding me? A creep like that I don’t want near my taxpayer money OR my daughter.

The deeper issue: Slander of public schools

The deeper issue is that the premise of vouchers is based on giving up on public schools. There is no reason to do that. Publics have their problems, like all massive undertakings, but they are still the best bet for the overwhelming number of state residents.

Don’t believe the hype about public schools. Reject the slander, which often stems from ulterior political motives.

Take E.E. Smith. Its graduates dotted the audience, ranging from Principal Parker to Mayor Mitch Colvin and council members Mario Benavente and Lynne Green.

Last year, 325,000 students qualified for workforce credentials in public schools; these students are classed as ready for the workforce, as determined by a council of business and labor leaders.

“Sixteen thousand of them are right here in Cumberland County,” Cooper said. “We’ve got the highest number of nationally board-certified teachers in the country — 78 of them are right here in Cumberland County.”

A moratorium on vouchers? How about the opposite? 

Cooper called on the state to enact a moratorium on vouchers. That strikes me as unlikely with Republicans in control of both chambers and with a large enough majority to override his veto.

Instead, we may be poised to go in the opposite direction. A Republican majority on the N.C. Supreme Court could possibly overturn Leandro, a 30-year-old legal case that requires state legislators to follow the state constitution and guarantee every child the right to a sound basic education. 

The Republican majority in the legislature, led by Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, have ignored the mandate. The latest court case is an attempt to get out of it altogether by arguing the courts cannot mandate statewide funding beyond the original low-wealth counties that filed suit, which include Cumberland.

I asked Cooper about it, and the governor would not concede that Leandro is a goner. He says its plan of paying for schools is still available and should be enacted.

He said of the state Supreme Court: “I hope they side with the children instead of the political power push in the legislature.”

One can hope.

Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.