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 one unified system of public education 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 one unified system of high-quality public education.
Public Schools First NC originated from a group of public education advocates who supported effective, diverse, and well-funded public schools in Wake County. These advocates started a Wake County focused coalition called Great Schools in Wake Coalition (GSIW). Within a year of GSIW forming, it was clear that a statewide organization was needed to advocate for the same principles all across North Carolina. Great Schools in Wake is now a special project of Public Schools First NC.
Public School First NC supports:
- Adequate, equitable funding for all school districts that meets or exceeds the national average.
- Racially and economically integrated public schools.
- 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 meets the intent of the original 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.
- Programs and policies that protect LGBTQ Youth.
We launched in early February 2013, North Carolina’s only statewide non-profit organization focused exclusively on pre-K – 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 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 annual budget allocations on the classroom. We continue to add new information to our website and welcome your suggestions for educational research and information you would find useful.
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 connect with 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 travel across the state to keep the issue of public education front and center in the minds of the public.
We present a variety of informational sessions throughout the community on topics such as legislative updates, analysis of critical issues impacting our public schools including a film series to educate citizens about these critical issues that impact our students and teachers, and we participate as organizers and presenters in various educational forums and conferences. We regularly conduct live webinars with educational leaders across North Carolina. These webinars are recorded and presents on our YouTube channel. Wherever we go, we are gratified by the communities’ strong interest in public education. If you would have like us to present to your organization, 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 unified, equitable system of high-quality public schools 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?
