As the 2020 elections approach and partisan electioneering is ramping up to the highest levels, there is one particular item that hopefully voters will not forget when deciding to cast a ballot in November, especially if public education continues to be a focal point for making a decision.

On Aug. 1st, 2018 the News and Observer ran a report entitled “Give us the $730 million you owe us — NC schools taking state leaders to court.” It begins,

“North Carolina school districts are going back to court to try to enforce a 10-year old court decision ordering state leaders to turn over nearly $750 million that was improperly withheld from public schools.

In 2008, Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning ordered the state to turn over $747.9 million in civil fines that should have been given to public schools over a nine-year period. With only $18 million provided so far, the N.C. School Boards Association and 20 school boards filed a new lawsuit Wednesday in Wake County Superior Court to get the state to meet its state constitutional obligation to provide the remaining $730 million” (https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article215827195.html).

Interestingly enough, “the money can only be used for technology and would be split among all of the state’s school districts based on how many students they have.” I imagine that there are some districts needing funds for the technology to start remotely or partially remotely.

And that would be welcome money for so many school systems simply because of outdated technology.

Actually, how about using that money for safety protocols in reopening school buildings?

Take a look at the following tables for the breakdown of that money according to each school system. It was compiled by red4ednews.com and is a website that each public school advocate should bookmark for useful and insightful information.

One might argue that it can only be used for technology. But think of how much money could be used in other high need areas that might have already been designated in local budgets for technology.

We are in a pandemic. Have been for a while. North Carolina is a bit of a hot spot. That money could be used in a A LOT OF VALID WAYS!

Of course the Tim Moore’s and Phil Berger’s of Raleigh will point out the fact that those court decision were made before the current powers that be came into office.

“The judgment was reached against Democrat lawmakers over a decade ago as they were slashing education spending by over $700 million in two years, furloughing teachers and cutting their pay, but since that time Republican leaders in the state General Assembly made schools their top priority by doubling K-12’s share of new state spending and increasing total public education appropriations by nearly $3 billion a year,” Joseph Kyzer, a spokesman for House Speaker Tim Moore, said in a written statement.

And remember – this is a legislative body that kept the NCGA in session for four extra months to try and override a veto for a budget that still has yet to be passed.

But they are not in session now. Why?

You can guess.