Legislative Progress Reports

The Center for Racial Equity in Education brings you this update on happenings in the North Carolina State Legislature. We hope that you will take a moment to review it, and then act on the information provided. A quick tweet, email, or phone call to your representatives could make a difference.

 JULY 2021

July 7, 2021

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Legislative Progress Report
The Center for Racial Equity in Education brings you this update on happenings in the North Carolina State Legislature. We hope that you will take a moment to review it, and then act on the information provided. A quick tweet, email, or phone call to your representatives could make a difference. Feel free to share the images below on social media.

Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

Here's What You Need to Know
The NC Senate passed its budget on June 25th by a vote of 32 to 17, with enough support to override a potential veto from Governor Cooper. The Senate budget includes massive tax cuts and significantly less funding for education than Governor Cooper's proposed budget. Instead of the 10% raises for teachers that the Governor proposed, the Senate budget only includes a 3% raise. The NC House of Representatives will begin debating its version of the budget in mid-July.
Senate Bill 654 will now go to a conference committee made up of senators and representatives. The committee will negotiate a compromise version of the bill that will then be voted on by both houses of the state legislature. SB 654 contains Covid relief funding for schools, but also includes a delay in implementation of the new social studies standards.

Racial Equity Progress Reports

Rep. Elmore
Rep. Jeffrey Elmore (Wilkes) proposed the changes to SB 654 that could result in a one-year delay in implementation of newly-adopted Social Studies Standards. Elmore has not been forthcoming about his reasons for proposing the delay, but a recent speech by Superintendent Truitt suggests a coordinated strategy to undermine the social studies standards. Ask Rep. Elmore what his reasons are for trying to delay the new social studies standards. 

Sen. Davis
Sen. Don Davis (Pitt/Greene) was recently assigned to the Conference Committee for SB 654. He will have a seat at the table when lawmakers decide whether or not to prevent students in North Carolina from learning accurate history by delaying use of the new social studies standards. Ask Sen. Davis what his position will be on the proposed delay to the social studies standards when the conference committee meets.

Rep. von Haefen
Rep. Julie von Haefen (Wake) proposed an amendment to SB 654 that would have removed the one-year delay in implementation of the social studies standards. She argued that the delay would wreak havoc on student schedules across the state since registration for next school year is well underway. However, the amendment failed to gain enough votes. Ask Rep. von Haefen how she plans to continue advocating for the social studies standards and accurate history in our schools.
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Through research, coalition building, and technical assistance, the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED) works to close opportunity gaps for all children in P-20 education, especially children of color, with the vision that one day race will no longer be the primary predictor of educational outcomes.

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July 21, 2021

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Legislative Progress Report
The Center for Racial Equity in Education brings you this update on happenings in the North Carolina State Legislature. We hope that you will take a moment to review it, and then act on the information provided. A quick tweet, email, or phone call to your representatives could make a difference. 

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021
Here's What You Need to Know
The NC Senate released a new draft of HB 324 on Wednesday, July 14th. Like the previous version of the bill, this version would prohibit educators from teaching about the realities of racism and sexism in the United States. On the same day, Senators Berger and Ballard filed SB 729, a bill that calls for a statewide referendum on banning affirmative action. Using seemingly-race-neutral language, both HB 324 and SB 729 would outlaw racial equity efforts and require colorblind racism in public employment. These proposed laws not only ignore the impact of past discrimination on the present, they falsely equate challenging racism with being racist.
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Racial Equity Progress Reports

Sen. Berger
Senator Philip Berger (Caswell, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry) gave a speech promoting HB 324 in which he attacked efforts to address racial discrimination. Berger also introduced a bill that calls for a constitutional amendment to ban affirmative action and require colorblind racism in public employment. Ask Sen. Berger why he opposes racial equity in public education. 

Sen. Waddell
Senator Joyce Waddell (Mecklenburg) pointed out how HB 324 stokes fear in order to restrict what can be taught in schools. Waddell also said that HB 324 would limit our ability to confront our nation's past. Ask Sen. Waddell how she will continue advocating for accurate history in our schools.

Sen. Chaudhuri
Senator Jay Chaudhuri (Wake) highlighted the chilling effect that HB 324 would have on teachers by limiting what they can say about certain topics. He also noted that efforts to silence teachers would only hurt students' ability to think critically. Ask Sen. Chaudhuri how he plans to stop the whitewashing of public education in North Carolina.
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Through research, coalition building, and technical assistance, the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED) works to close opportunity gaps for all children in P-20 education, especially children of color, with the vision that one day race will no longer be the primary predictor of educational outcomes.

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 AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER 2021

August 2021

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Legislative Progress Report
The Center for Racial Equity in Education brings you this update on happenings in the North Carolina State Legislature. We hope that you will take a moment to review it, and then act on the information provided. A quick tweet, email, or phone call to your representatives could make a difference. 

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021
Here's What You Need to Know
The NC House of Representatives released its budget this week. Lawmakers included several policies in the budget that received favorable votes in the House of Representatives in recent months but have stalled in the Senate. One such provision would delay use of the new Social Studies Standards for two years (SB 654), and another would require teachers to post all lesson plans and instructional materials to a public website (HB 755). In addition to burdening already overworked educators, these measures would prevent students from learning accurate history. The budget would also force school districts to create committees to investigate learning materials that draw complaints from any source. This policy would likely result in challenges to instructional materials that address racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination. The House budget also eliminates language from state law that encourages school administrators to treat all students fairly by reducing racial disparities in punishment for subjective rule violations (HB 247).
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Racial Equity Progress Reports

Rep. Saine
Representative Jason Saine (Lincoln) serves as the senior chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He played a vital role in drafting a budget that delays use of the new social studies standards, burdens teachers with excessive requirements, and exacerbates racial disparities in school punishment. Ask Rep. Saine why he opposes racial equity in NC public schools. 

Rep. Baker
Representative Amber Baker (Forsyth) highlighted the inaccessibility of the NC House budget process by asking a simple question at the conclusion of Thursday's session. Representative Baker expressed the sentiments of many North Carolinians wondering where the House budget process is headed and why it wasn't clearer given the speed at which lawmakers are proceeding. Ask Rep. Baker how she plans to demystify the budget process for the people of North Carolina.

Rep. Reives
Representative Robert Reives (Chatham, Durham) raised concerns about the priorities expressed in the House budget. "We should be empowering educators - not censoring their curricula. We should be investing in our communities - not cutting taxes for big businesses," Reives said in a statement. Ask Rep. Reives how he will continue advocating for more resources for schools.
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Through research, coalition building, and technical assistance, the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED) works to close opportunity gaps for all children in P-20 education, especially children of color, with the vision that one day race will no longer be the primary predictor of educational outcomes.

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September 2021

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Legislative Progress Report
The Center for Racial Equity in Education brings you this update on happenings in the North Carolina State Legislature. We hope that you will take a moment to review it, and then act on the information provided. A quick tweet, email, or phone call to your representatives could make a difference. 

Wednesday, September 1st, 2021
Here's What You Need to Know
The NC House of Representatives will vote at noon today on whether to concur with the version of HB 324 that the Senate passed on August 26th. HB 324 is designed to undermine racial equity efforts in North Carolina's public schools. The bill would not only prohibit teachers from affirming the lived realities of students of color, it would also discourage school districts from providing racial equity-focused professional development by making the process cumbersome. Ultimately, HB 324 threatens to make NC schools less representative of the students who populate them by whitewashing the curriculum and by limiting how much of themselves teachers of color can bring into the classroom.
Download these images to share on social media. Tag @CREED_NC on Twitter and Instagram.

Racial Equity Progress Reports

Sen. Lee
Senator Michael Lee (New Hanover) chairs the Senate Education Committee. He presided over a raucous hearing on August 24th that featured a dishonest presentation from Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson as well as commentary from several misinformed members of the public. Rather than insist on truth and order, Lee stood silently while fellow senators were berated by Robinson. Ask Sen. Lee if he truly represents all of his constituents.

Sen. Chaudhuri
Senator Jay Chaudhuri (Wake) called out the secrecy surrounding Lieutenant Governor Robinson's "F.A.C.T.S." Taskforce and the questionable process for vetting alleged incidents of "indoctrination" described in the report. Chaudhuri, unfazed by Robinson's blustery response, continued to ask tough and necessary questions about protecting teachers from partisan harassment. Ask Sen. Chaudhuri how he plans to ensure that education professionals are empowered to teach the truth.

Sen. Davis
Senator Don Davis (Greene, Pit) raised concerns about the disconnect between the language of HB 324 and the alleged incidents described in Lieutenant Governor Robinson's F.A.C.T.S. report. When Davis asked how many of the incidents mentioned in the report would actually be considered a violation of the proposed law, committee leaders refused to answer his question. Ask Sen. Davis how he will continue advocating for better representation in our schools.
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Through research, coalition building, and technical assistance, the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED) works to close opportunity gaps for all children in P-20 education, especially children of color, with the vision that one day race will no longer be the primary predictor of educational outcomes.

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