Working Together to Make North Carolina Schools Second to None

The Collision of Idealism, Ideology, Organizational / Agency Self-Interest & Politics

Over the coming months you will have an opportunity to see the Good, Bad & Ugly of

This thing called the Policy Arena~

1. We are policy wonks, political junkies & advocates

2. We respect (although at times it’s hard) the process and believe that good things can, and do, come from an imperfect system

3. We believe that (for the most part) elected officials attempt to do what is right for kids in North Carolina

Policy making is all about people & relationships.It is also about party, ideology and campaign

donations.It is very much about the drive to be re-elected to

office.It is about credibility (for better or worse, you are

blessed by or saddled with the credibility of your organization).

It is about personal honesty, straight shooting, and consistency.

Most of all, it is a process. What doesn’t happen today can happen tomorrow. Play for the long haul. Don’t burn bridges over a one-year setback.

That power is fleeting (remember Jim Black?)Surprises happen (remember Jim Martin; or,

better yet, who can forget Sarah Palin?)Urgency makes strange bed fellows (witness the

Wall Street Meltdown)There is nothing like a real or imagined crisis to

drive policy (witness the Wall Street meltdown; better yet, think about dropout policymaking)

Policymaking is bigger than education; the interconnectivity of government impacts school policies (i.e. a slowdown in revenue collections, overcrowded prisons, bridges collapsing, hurricane relief, children losing medical benefit coverage, etc.)

First, major elected leaders & units of Government

The Office of the Governor(bully pulpit, Cabinet, budget proposals & veto)

State Board of Education General Assembly(budget recommendations; (power of purse strings & responsible for rules and regulations, frequently pass educationalcurriculum & testing) policies)

Smart Start – Governor HuntSmart Start – Governor Hunt

More at Four – Governor EasleyMore at Four – Governor Easley

High Schools – Governor EasleyHigh Schools – Governor Easley

ABC’s System – State Board of EducationABC’s System – State Board of Education

SB 2 (1SB 2 (1stst accountability) – General Assembly accountability) – General Assembly

Funding for Poor/Small Systems –General AssemblyFunding for Poor/Small Systems –General Assembly

School Calendar Bill – General AssemblySchool Calendar Bill – General Assembly

Dropout Prevention Initiative – General AssemblyDropout Prevention Initiative – General Assembly

Collaborative Project – General AssemblyCollaborative Project – General Assembly

Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. It also includes:UNCCommunity College SystemMore at FourSmart StartSOS & Crime Commission programs

While publicly these various educational entities are all in it together, there is predictable competition and jockeying for additional funding.

The Role of Non-Governmental Groups In Establishing Education Policy in NC

Unions & Professional Associations

Broad Public Policy NGOs

Educational Non-Profits

Business Organizations

For-Profit NGOs

Categories of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) That Are Active

in the NC Educational Policy Arena

Unions & Professional Associations

(NCASA, NCAE, NCSBA, NCPAPA, ASCD, Discipline Groups)

Taking a Closer Look. . .

Typically:

Narrow Focus

Bread & Butter & Security Issues or Issues Related to Narrow

Curriculum Focus

Issues of Control

Frequently Reactive

Poor Record of Improvement Leadership

Cutting Differences:

Those with Full-Time Lobbyists & Those Without

Those With PACs and Those Without

Numbers (i.e. potential votes)

LiberalLiberal ModerateModerate ConservativeConservative

Tax & Justice Tax & Justice CenterCenter

Center for Center for Public PolicyPublic Policy

Locke Locke FoundationFoundation

Child Advocacy Child Advocacy CoalitionCoalition

Pope Center on Pope Center on Higher EducationHigher Education

NAACP & Other NAACP & Other Minority Minority OrganizationsOrganizations

NC Education NC Education AllianceAlliance

Liberals Tend to:

Advocate for Disadvantaged, Minorities

Call for New Resources (targeted)

Increasingly Hold Schools Accountable

Conservatives Tend to:

Questions Competency of “the blob”

Oppose Calls for New Money

Favor Choice

Moderates Tend to:

Inform Discussion with Research

Focus Heavily on Good Government Issues

Broad Public Policy Groups (cont.)

Communities in Schools

Futures4Kids

Teach for America

All Kinds of Minds

Center for Teacher Quality

Center for International Understanding

NC Real

NC Network

NC Teacher & Learning Quality

New Schools Project

Educational NGOs

1) Have a Relatively Narrow (and self-serving) Agenda.

2) Identify Legislative Champions

3) Rise & Fall Depending on Legislative Champions

4) Be Competitive for State/ Foundation/ Corporate

Support

5) Avoid Policy Arena Except for Own Interests

Educational NGOs Tend To:

NC Citizens for Business & Industry

NCBCE

They tend to:

1) Be Pro a Stronger Work Force

2) Focus on Bottom Line Issues

3) See Education as an Economic Issue

4) Are Increasingly Obsessed with Global Competition

5) Be Ambivalent on Taxes

6) Frequently be Critical of Government

Business Organizations in the Educational Arena

Those with lobbyists are more influential than those

without.

Those with PACs have more impact than those without.

Those with independent research capacity have an edge.

Those that are seen as school/child focused have more

receptivity than those viewed as narrow interest groups.

They use various routes to make policy (Governor, State

Board, General Assembly, etc.)

In All Cases…

Tax/Resource Issues

School Choice versus Strong Public System

Faith in the System versus Suspicion of

Government

Narrow Self-Interest Agendas versus Broad

Improvement Agendas

Major Clashes Among NGOs

Rather a Chameleon

No members

No annual legislative priority list

No political action arm

Not just another special interest group

Viewed as a resource/collaborator

Trusted source of information

Willing to speak the truth

Teaching Fellows Program Project Teach

The Collaborative Project North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) NC Institute for Educational Policymakers

International Studies Program Education: Everybody’s Business Coalition Columbia Group NC Partners

Is a combination of passion and good data

Is predicated on a belief in the system

Is all about people and relationships

Is a marathon, not a sprint

Mid-Term Election year– First time in 113 years (1998) both houses will be Republican Majority

Revenue picture still gloomy – more cuts likely; end of stimulus money just around the corner

Increasing focus on results (or lack thereof) – Race to the Top

Major issues coming to a head (i.e., No Child reauthorization, testing in NC, etc.)

Another competition is about to begin

The Race to the Bottom

$738 Million for K-12 Education Alone

If K-12’s portion of the $3.6 billion deficit equaled 35%, it would mean a loss of $1.26billion.

No extension of temporary taxes will be in the Governor’s budget

All state agencies are to submit plans for 5, 10 and 15% cuts

5% = -$394,485,753

10% = -$788,971,506

15% = -$1,183,457,259

Possible State Cut Federal Stimulus $$ Coming to an End

Potential Impact

5% = -$394,485,753 -$738,000,000 -$1,132,485,753

10% = -$788,971,506 -$738,000,000 -$1,526,971,506

15% = -$1,183,457,259

-$738,000,000 -$1,921,457,259

Possible State Cut

Federal Stimulus $$

Minus RTTT $100 Million

Potential Impact

5% = -$394,485,753

-$738,000,000 $100,000,000 -$1,032,485,753

10% = -$788,971,506

-$738,000,000 $100,000,000 -$1,426,971,506

15% = -$1,183,457,259

-$738,000,000 $100,000,000 -$1,821,457,259

Possible State Cut

Federal Stimulus $$

Potential Impact

Minus RTTT $100 Million

Minus $200 Million of JOBS $$

5% = -$394,485,753

-$738,000,000

-$1,132,485,753

-$1,032,485,753

-$862,485,753

10% = -$788,971,506

-$738,000,000

-$1,526,971,506

-$1,426,971,506

-$1,226,971,506

15% =-$1,183,457,259

-$738,000,000

-$1,921,457,259

-$1,821,457,259

-$1,621,457,259

At or near the bottom on per pupil spending

Based on the most recent NEA rankings, North Carolina is 42nd on per pupil spending

Rank State Per Pupil Rank State Per Pupil

1 District of Columbia

$17,638 42 North Carolina $8,743

2 Rhode Island $17,289 43 California $8,322

3 New Jersey $16,253 44 Tennessee $8,261

4 New York $15,997 45 North Dakota $8,222

5 Wyoming $14,732 46 Oklahoma $8,006

6 Vermont $14,679 47 Idaho $7,730

7 Massachusetts $13,901 48 Nevada $7,615

8 Connecticut $13,864 49 Mississippi $7,484

9 Maine $13,309 50 Arizona $5,932

10 Delaware $13,039 51 Utah $5,912

National Average = $10,190

(ie. $720 Million to $1.44 Billion)

For an elementary school of 600 students…

Cuts equaling $300,000-$600,000

How to Find it: $20 - $40,000 from books / materials / staff

development2 Teacher jobs (give you roughly $100,000)3 Teacher Assistants or Clerical Staff (give you

$100,000)

Cuts equaling $1.25 Million - $2.5 Million

State funding has been cut $638 million in the last two sessions.

All state funding for staff development has already been cut

All state funding for mentoring new teachers has already been cut

Most local schools have already made “the easy” cuts (administration, etc.)

15,000 students have lost afterschool care

Program cuts impacting instruction and staffing quality (ie. staff development, class sizes, new teacher mentoring, foreign language programs, Advance Placement courses) will not come back for years.

When state revenue begins to rebound for the 1st and probably 2nd years all new money will (in all probability) go to catch up salaries – which will have been frozen for 4 consecutive years – and restoration of jobs that are essential.

Instructional program restoration will be years away.

Of Course:

Extend the temporary sales tax (cuts deficit by $1 billion)

Consider additional revenue measures

Better yet, revamp our antiquated taxing system

The Question is Whether there is Will

The impending cuts are potentially going to hit all aspects of government- K-12 schools, Community Colleges, UNC, Healthcare, Parks, Local Government and more.

Hundreds and more likely thousands of state and local jobs will disappear

But it’s much more than a jobs issue

Its quality of life, its future

It’s about kids and their future

It’s about North Carolina and its economic viability

It’s a contest we don’t Want to Win!

John Dornanjdornan@ncforum.org919-781-6833www.ncforum.org