State of North Carolina Archives: on Education
Alma Adams:
Fight against vouchers & reckless cuts to public education
Education has always been a top priority to Alma Adams. As a retired educator, Alma knows quality education opens up opportunities for anyone to live the American Dream. Alma has relentlessly fought against the reckless cuts to our public education
system.Alma will always stand up and fight for our public schools. She knows a good public education is an American value, and she will work to provide a good public education for everyone.
Adams opposes any school voucher program. She will always
fight for the public schools to get the funding they need and deserve so everyone can have access to a quality education.
Alma understands the challenges facing public education as well as anyone. She knows it is getting harder and harder for students
to attend colleges and universities. In Congress, Alma will work to provide more scholarships and reduce the rates on student loans. She will also help reduce the debt for current and immediate past students who are struggling to pay off their loans.
Source: 2014 N.C. House campaign website, AlmaAdamsForCongress.com
Aug 31, 2014
Cheri Beasley:
Reform student loan programs; increase funds for HBCUs
To expand pathways beyond high school Cheri supports programs that help students prepare for college and believes in reforming student loan programs so that our students are not hampered by mountains of debt when they graduate.
She also knows that while a four-year degree might be the right choice for some, it is not for everyone. Cheri will work to expand access to community college, apprenticeships, and vocational training.
She will also fight to increase funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs),
Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).
Source: 2022 N.C. Senate campaign website CheriBeasley.com
Dec 1, 2021
Cheri Beasley:
For universal pre-K, close funding gaps between districts
Cheri will fight for education funding from cradle to career for all our kids. She supports investing in early childhood education, universal pre-k, and fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Cheri also believes we must invest in our teachers and increase Title I funding to help close gaps between school districts and ensure schools are funded fairly and equitably across every zip code in our state.
Source: 2022 N.C. Senate campaign website CheriBeasley.com
Dec 1, 2021
David Rouzer:
Put control of education in the hands of local parents
I believe that control of education needs to be in the hands of parents, teachers and principals at the local level. The federal government should get out of the way and let the states do what is
best for their local school officials so that every child receives a quality education with more focus on classroom needs and a structure that rewards excellence in teaching.From a personal standpoint,
I believe we should return to the fundamentals of learning with a focus on critical thinking rather than the reciting of facts and figures that are forgotten soon after the test.
If a student has learned how to learn and can think through issues and problems thoroughly, couple that with personal initiative and they will be able to achieve anything. Parental involvement is absolutely critical to success.
Source: 2014 N.C. House campaign website, DavidRouzer.com
Oct 10, 2014
Deborah Ross:
Ensure every child has access to quality education
After leaving the State House in 2013, Deborah returned to the full time practice of law, serving as the General Counsel for GoTriangle, a regional authority providing transportation services that connect Wake,
Durham and Orange counties, and ensuring access to high quality public transit. In the Senate, Deborah will take on the tough issues.
She has spent her entire career fighting for the citizens of North Carolina, and she is ready to take that fight to the U.S. Senate where she will work to create a better business environment that enhances economic security,
ensure every child in North Carolina has access to quality education, and protect the equal opportunity that America was built upon.
Source: 2016 Campaign website for N.C. Senate, DeborahRoss.com
Nov 11, 2015
Marjorie K. Eastman:
Time to add civic literacy to our educational curriculum
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) dominate America's education curriculum. It's time to add civic literacy. In terms of freedom and democracy, the US used to lead the world. Today we are ranked 11th. An alarming amount of
American students can't name the three branches of government or their guaranteed rights under the First Amendment. How can we expect them to uphold and participate in American civic life without fully knowing what it means to be an American?
Source: 2021 N.C. Senate campaign website MarjorieKEastman.com
Oct 20, 2021
Pat McCrory:
Virtual education choice and charter schools choice
Virtual Education Choice: National studies show virtual learners make larger learning gains and have higher course completion rates. 21st-century technology makes it possible for high school students to choose from a wide range of on-line courses taught
by the best public school teachers from across the state. I propose offering greater access and more flexibility to local school systems to our students--public, private, and home schooled--to a wide range of for-credit, on-line courses.
Teaching and education can no longer be limited to lectures, chalkboards, and brick buildings.Charter Schools Choice: While lifting the cap on charter schools was a great first step, we must be careful that a slow moving process
for approving new charter schools would act as a de facto cap. Therefore, we must address the thousands of families on waiting lists for charter schools in addition to the dozens of charter schools waiting to open.
Source: N.C. Governor 2012 campaign website, patmccrory.com
Nov 6, 2012
Pat McCrory:
Partner colleges with business to focus on marketable skills
Too many graduates are finding that their degree does not provide them with a marketable skill set to get a job. We need to work more closely with businesses and educational leaders to guarantee the quality of a North Carolina degree for every course of
study. To this end, a McCrory administration will work to create an important feedback loop for students and parents as they choose their educational path, measure and ensure the quality of
North Carolina degree and ease the ability to share best practices between campuses and industries. A McCrory administration will:- Expand Partnership Between Higher Education and Economic Development
- Promote Enrollment in High-Demand Fields
- Measure Program Success and Share Best Practices
- Define Expected Skill Attainment for Each Course of Study
- Require Curricular Input from Employment Decision-Makers
- Fight Grade Inflation
Source: N.C. Governor 2012 campaign website, patmccrory.com
Nov 6, 2012
Sandy Smith:
Vouchers for school choice, at state level
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Vouchers for school choice"?
A: Strongly Support, but this is a state issue, not federal.
Source: OnTheIssues.org interview of 2020 N.C. Senate candidates
Jul 21, 2019
Robert Pittenger:
Endorses voluntary prayer in public schools
Pittenger indicates support of the following principles regarding education.-
Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools.
- Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
Source: 2004 N.C. Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2004
Robert Pittenger:
Vouchers for public, private or religious schools
Pittenger indicates support of the following principles regarding education.- Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any
private or religious school.
- Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- Support teacher testing and reward with merit pay.
- Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
Source: 2004 N.C. Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2004
Sean Haugh:
Vouchers for public, private or religious schools
Haugh indicates support for the following principles regarding education. - Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school.
-
Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
Source: 2004 N.C. Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2004
Sean Haugh:
Voluntary prayer in public schools
Haugh indicates support for the following principles regarding education. - Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools.
-
Support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods.
Source: 2004 N.C. Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2004
Thom Tillis:
FactCheck: Passed school budget of $23.1B, but no cuts
The claim: "Thom Tillis is terrible for education in N.C. He cut $500 million from our budget."Who made it: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and National Education Association Advocacy Fund in separate TV ads and Sen. Kay Hagan in the first
debate.
The facts: The $500 million amount comes from the continuation budget put out each year by the state Department of Public Instruction. This is the amount DPI says it would cost to keep programs going at the current level when factoring in the
enrollment of more students. The 2013 continuation budget called for $23.6 billion over two years. The legislature's budget included $23.1 billion over two years, or $482 million short of what DPI said was needed. Tillis voted for that budget.
The $500 million is an overstatement. Some also argue that underfunding is not a cut.
The DPI says the money budgeted for textbooks, instructional supplies, technology, literacy coaches, and the like, has been reduced by $1 billion since 2008-2009.
Source: News-Observer PacWatch & FactCheck on 2014 N.C. Senate race
Oct 4, 2014
Roy Cooper:
NC Supreme Court ordered school funding is for the children
Many of you on the Republican side of the aisle don't believe the NC Supreme Court should order you to invest more in our children's education to comply with the Constitution. But the Court should uphold decades of bipartisan Supreme Court precedent
that comes down on the side of the children, because that's what really matters--the children. The education investments ordered by the Court are the right thing to do not only for our children, but our parents, our workforce and our businesses.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the N.C. legislature
Mar 6, 2023
Mark Walker:
Block federal mandates, get DC bureaucracy out of classrooms
I'm running for Governor because we need to Expand educational opportunities. This is how we empower our families. We're on the doorstep of funding the students but we also need to block federal mandates getting DC bureaucracies out of our classroom.
We have a world class community college system, let's maximize it by partnering with booming industries to end labor shortages. To make sure that financial literacy is embedded in our curriculum.
Source: 2024 N.C. Governor campaign website Walker4NC.com
Aug 2, 2023
Josh Stein:
Free community college for students in high-demand sectors
I'm proposing that for students getting certified in high-demand sectors, like advanced manufacturing, health care, and IT, we provide them free community college! We've also got to support Propel NC, which rewards community colleges when students earn
credentials for high wage jobs. And I'm creating a Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships to unite our community colleges, public schools, and local businesses around our shared goal of getting more people access to good jobs with good wages.
Source: 2025 State of the State Address to the N.C. legislature
Mar 12, 2025
Josh Stein:
We need to put our public dollars toward our public schools
We need to put our public dollars toward our public schools. North Carolina is 48th in the nation in per pupil investment--we can do so much better. We should not be taking money from our public school kids to pay
for wealthy parents sending their kids to unaccountable private schools, to the tune of $7.5 billion over the next decade.
Source: 2025 State of the State Address to the N.C. legislature
Mar 12, 2025
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026