Public Schools First NC is a statewide nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused solely on pre-K – 12 public education issues. We collaborate with parents, teachers, business leaders, civic leaders, and communities across North Carolina to advocate for an effective public education system that will prepare each child for productive citizenship.
We believe that strong public schools are essential for strengthening our economy and maintaining the vitality of our communities. Our goal is to educate and inform North Carolinians about the critical public education issues that affect our schools, our teachers, and our students and to engage all stakeholders in supporting a quality public education system.
We support:
- Adequate, equitable funding for NC’s 115 school districts that meets or exceeds the national average.
- Programs and compensation that encourage recruitment, preparation, support, and retention of professional, experienced educators.
- Using public tax dollars to fund public (not private) education.
- Operating charter schools that meet the intent of the 1996 enabling legislation, holding charters to the same transparency and accountability as traditional public schools, and empowering local school boards with the ability to create charters and keep them under their governance.
- Access to high-quality pre-school, so each child comes to school “kindergarten ready.”
- Providing resources that mitigate the impact of poverty on a child’s academic success.
- Excellent educational environments that are built on partnerships between schools, families, teachers, and communities.
We launched in early February 2013, North Carolina’s only statewide non-profit organization focused exclusively on pre-K to 12 public education. We have worked diligently since then to build our network across the state, educating the public about the most pressing issues facing our public schools.
We continue to write fact sheets – more than two dozen so far, researching and compiling critical information about private school vouchers, charter schools, pre-K education, and A-F school performance grades, as well as analysis of the impact of budget cuts on the classroom. Many other topics are in the pipeline; we always welcome your suggestions of the research and information you need.
We follow the General Assembly closely during and between legislative sessions. During session, we summarize key bills in our detailed weekly Legislative Updates and issue regular e-newsletters and action alerts and press releases as needed, all to keep North Carolinians and the media informed about important developments affecting public schools.
Through social media, especially Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we have found an eager group of concerned citizens scattered across North Carolina and beyond. We reach an audience of tens of thousands on our Facebook page with our daily posts of pertinent news articles, academic studies, and other reports.
When we are not researching and developing materials or at the State Legislature, we’re traveling around the state to keep the issue of public education front and center in the minds of the public. We’re gratified by these communities’ strong interest in public education. If you would like us to come to your community, please email us at info@publicschoolsfirstnc.org.
We want to continue the good work of collaborating with teachers, parents, business and civic leaders, students, and communities across North Carolina to ensure we have a first-rate public education system that will prepare each child for life.
The work we do is a labor of love, but we need resources to accomplish our goals.
Will you help us by making a tax-deductible donation today?
Thank you.
