NORTH CAROLINA
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Core Values in Education
February 16, 2012

At the end of January, some celebrated "National School Choice Week" by highlighting the important role home schools, private schools and charter schools play in our system of education. I can agree that North Carolina is home to a diverse student population with different types of learning needs. I also agree that these needs must be met with different types of instruction, school structures and settings. What I cannot agree with, however, is a focus on supporting schools that meet the needs of certain groups of students to the detriment of those schools that meet the needs of many others. And it is unfortunate that I have seen this trend appear more than a few times during the past legislative session.

The practice of helping some students at the cost of others undermines the following set of core values that I believe many North Carolinians share:

• Equity – Every child must be provided a sound, basic education.
• Quality – Excellence for all students. This means every school should provide excellent teachers, school leaders, curriculum, assessments and preparation for college, careers and life.
• Choice – Families should have flexibility in choosing the type of school that best meets their needs. Our system of public schools offers many great options including charter schools, early colleges, STEM and other career-themed schools and the second-largest virtual public school in the nation.
• Efficiency – We must do the best with what we have.
• Accountability – Taxpayers are investors in schools. They deserve to see how their money is being spent and what returns they are getting on their investment.
• Community – Education is not just about children, parents and teachers. We are all stakeholders protecting and preserving education for this and future generations. That is why we must look out for one another and work together to make sure our future is in good hands.

While these values guide the work of the State Board of Education, they were unfortunately not reflected in some of the legislation proposed and passed during the General Assembly's 2010-11 session. For example, one addition in Senate Bill 8 that did not make it to the final version created an independent commission to approve and oversee all charter schools. We also now have a law that will provide taxpayer money as an incentive for parents who move students from public to private schools (schools with little to no accountability to the public.) Lawmakers also moved oversight for the More at Four pre-K program from DPI to another state agency that may not be able maintain the focus on the accessibility and the academic curriculum for which the program was nationally recognized. It is clear to me that these decisions were not made with equity, quality, choice, efficiency, accountability and community in mind.

The fiscal circumstances we are in today are challenging. But this is no excuse to abandon these core values and favor one group of students over another. On the contrary, it is perhaps more important now than any other time in our history that state and local leaders and policymakers return to and uphold these values and use them to make decisions in the best interest of all North Carolina students and families.

Bill Harrison, Chairman
State Board of Education
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