NC Policy Watch | News and commentary about public policy and politics in North Carolina.

As the General Assembly opens anew, a look at how justice fared last session

1/28/2015

A diminishing courts budget was just one of several hits justice took when state lawmakers last…

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The jig is up, comrades; head for the hills!

1/28/2015

Intrepid Civitas sleuths have unearthed our vast and shadowy network Urgent Memorandum To: All current and former assets…

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School Choice and unaccountability week

1/27/2015

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for this year’s “ School Choice Week,” the nationally orchestrated right-wing…

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Fewer education majors, and worries about where tomorrow’s teachers will come from

1/27/2015

Finding teachers for North Carolina’s classrooms may be an increasingly difficult endeavor, as the ranks of those…

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The Class of 2015 - Rep. Brad Salmon

1/26/2015

Name: state Rep. Brad Salmon (Democrat) Occupation: attorney (general practice attorney at Salmon Law Firm) and…

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Monday numbers

1/26/2015

520 million—amount in dollars of the loss in state revenue from proposed elimination of the state capital…

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The jig is up, comrades; head for the hills!

by Rob SchofieldWednesday, January 28th, 2015

Intrepid Civitas sleuths have unearthed our vast and shadowy network Urgent Memorandum To: All current and former assets in the Vast and Shadowy Network of Leftist North Carolina Activists (“VSNLNCA” aka “VSN-NC”) From: Agent R-JC-PW-2 Date: 1/28/15 Re: Abort all subversive activities immediately; report to previously designated site (see below) for further instructions [Continue Reading…]
School Choice and unaccountability week

by Chris FitzsimonTuesday, January 27th, 2015

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for this year’s “ School Choice Week,” the nationally orchestrated right-wing funded annual public relations extravaganza touting alternatives to traditional public schools, including charters, virtual charters, home schools, and of course voucher-supported private and religious academies. Next week the N.C. Department of Public Instruction will release grades [Continue Reading…]
Fewer education majors, and worries about where tomorrow’s teachers will come from

by Sarah OvaskaTuesday, January 27th, 2015

Finding teachers for North Carolina’s classrooms may be an increasingly difficult endeavor, as the ranks of those looking to become teachers dwindles. North Carolina’s public university system saw a steep enrollment decline in the last four years in undergraduate and graduate teaching programs, amounting to a 27 percent drop from 2010 to 2014. [Continue Reading…]
The Class of 2015 – Rep. Brad Salmon

by Sarah OvaskaMonday, January 26th, 2015

Name: state Rep. Brad Salmon (Democrat) Occupation: attorney (general practice attorney at Salmon Law Firm) and farmer (tobacco, soy beans, wheat and peaches) District: Harnett, Lee counties Lives in: Mamers (unincorporated community outside of Lillington) From: Mamers (family goes back several generations in area) Family:Single, no children. Campaign website: www.electbradsalmon.com Hobbies: [Continue Reading…]
Monday numbers

by Chris FitzsimonMonday, January 26th, 2015

520 million—amount in dollars of the loss in state revenue from proposed elimination of the state capital gains tax (“A Capital Loss: Eliminating taxes on capital gains would make North Carolina’s tax system more unfair and make the state’s revenue challenge worse,” N.C. Budget & Tax Center, January 2015) 90—percentage of North Carolina [Continue Reading…]
The Follies

by Chris FitzsimonFriday, January 23rd, 2015

Tillis flip-flops on climate change North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis seems to have changed his mind about climate change, or at least whether or not it is real. Tillis was one of 98 senators who recently voted for an amendment to a bill about the Keystone XL pipeline that stated clearly that climate [Continue Reading…]
Teachers’ group makes pitch to win back tenure for all

by Lindsay WagnerThursday, January 22nd, 2015

Last year, teachers got a big win when a Wake County Superior Court judge struck down part of a 2013 law that would have stripped tenure from educators who had already received it. But Judge Robert H. Hobgood allowed another piece of the law to remain, which prevents probationary teachers who are on [Continue Reading…]
McCrory’s staggering start to another year

by Chris FitzsimonThursday, January 22nd, 2015

Last Friday was supposed to be a moment for Governor Pat McCrory to shine, to stand in front of the UNC Board of Governors and unveil another part of his strategy to create jobs, to keep what he calls the Carolina Comeback in the headlines. McCrory was there to tout an “Innovation to [Continue Reading…]
Making the guarantee of Roe v. Wade a reality for all

by Suzanne BuckleyWednesday, January 21st, 2015

Thursday January 22 is the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court established that the constitutional right to privacy encompasses the right to choose whether to end a pregnancy. Each year around the anniversary of the Roe, we reflect on how the decision dramatically [Continue Reading…]
An anniversary to be mourned and used as a call to action

by Rob SchofieldWednesday, January 21st, 2015

A ruinous national experiment enters its sixth year today Despite its countless attributes and accomplishments, the United States has experienced more than its share of disastrous laws, political eras and policy experiments since its founding 238 years ago. It took 89 years to officially eradicate slavery and we’re still combating its poisonous legacy. [Continue Reading…]