UNC is a public institution — in fact, it was the first of its kind.
To this day, UNC enjoys outstanding public support and funding from the taxpayers of this state.
Even with recent budget cuts, North Carolina still manages to fund its schools more than other states. This is great, and it enables more students to access education and opportunities.
Sadly, it seems the University faces the same treatment as public high, middle and elementary schools — budget cuts, decreasing respect and increased scrutiny from the public. This anti-public school sentiment is coming to a head in the national debate over Betsy DeVos, the nominated Secretary of Education in the Trump administration. It is becoming abundantly clear that the current Republican agenda is anti-public education as we know it. Which is a shame.
Clearly, the public education system is not perfect. The reason it is worth fixing has less to do with the current model — we have to evaluate its original purpose. When Thomas Jefferson initially argued for public education, he said it was inherently linked to democracy. Well-educated kids grow into informed voters.
While there is still much to be researched about charter schools and other school choice programs, they can lead to resegregation if not held accountable. In North Carolina, charter schools are becoming increasingly segregated in both economic and racial terms.
In this state at least, the charter program is not a good enough alternative to the current public school system. No one should be denied their right to learn.
Given the uncomfortable relationship President Trump and a few Republican leaders have with the truth, this is not the time to further decrease access to education. For every lie the Trump administration spews, we need more educated people to call bullshit.
If we let our public schools die, that might not be true in the future.
