North Carolina

Why is North Carolina’s governor so afraid of school choice? Follow the money

Published

2 years ago

June 1, 2023

Why is North Carolina’s governor so afraid of school choice? Follow the money

When his own government report showed a rising number of failing students, Gov.
Roy Cooper
(D-NC) did not ask the public “to take immediate action” or embrace reforms that create more educational opportunities.

Instead, the
North Carolina
governor continued to resist school choice measures that would provide students in low-performing schools with alternatives. Although he postured as a centrist on education policy during his 2020
reelection campaign
, Cooper, a Democrat, has fallen in line with the demands of his benefactors in the
teachers unions
since resuming office.

A DEBT LIMIT WIN FOR THE GOP

He has blocked
legislation
enabling all North Carolina families to receive scholarships for private school tuition while resisting
new avenues
for expanding charter schools.

Despite saying children returning to school was his “No. 1 priority,” Cooper vetoed a
bill
that would accelerate in-person learning options for students. The legislation provided school boards with latitude to halt attendance if COVID-19 infections began to spike. But at the same time, the bill’s primary authors also accommodated schools that could reopen with little risk to students and teachers.

Cooper’s veto closely coincided with the release of a
report
that Catherine Truitt, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, shared with lawmakers in March 2021. Almost 23% of North Carolina’s public school students were at risk of academic failure during that school year, according to Truitt’s education department.

That sounds like an alarming figure, but it was not until a few days ago that Cooper declared a
state of emergency
, demanding “immediate action” and applying public pressure against the state legislature.

The public school system is “under siege” because Republican lawmakers are pushing bills that would “choke the life out of public education,” Cooper
said
during a May 22 press conference.

The governor is scandalized because Republicans want families to have more autonomy over their tax dollars in the form of scholarships they could apply toward educational costs, including private school tuition. Cooper, who sends his
children
to private schools, claims the legislation would benefit millionaires at taxpayers’ expense.

But the
House
and
Senate
versions of the bills in question would use a sliding-scale system, whereby household income would determine the size of the scholarships. The Carolina Journal
details
how this would work. The scholarship system would prioritize households earning $55,000 a year or less and match the value of each scholarship to income.

The lowest-income households would qualify for 100% of the scholarships estimated to be about $7,400 a year. Higher-income households would receive less.
Estimates
show the wealthiest families receiving about $3,000.

Rather than working with the legislature to reform and liberalize the restrictive eligibility requirements for the
Opportunity Scholarship program
, Cooper prefers to
defund
the program completely. Fortunately, he won’t have that opportunity.

In April, state Rep. Tricia Cotham
announced
she was switching her affiliation from Democratic to Republican, providing the GOP with a veto-proof majority in the House. A former principal and teacher, Cotham was motivated by Republican support for school choice and the public’s growing appetite for reform.

By contrast, Cooper seems motivated by campaign contributions from the North Carolina Association of Educators, an affiliate of the politically potent National Education Association.

With more than
$400 million
in assets, NEA, a longtime opponent of school choice initiatives, has devoted
about 97%
of its political action committee contributions to Democrats in recent years.

Cooper,
endorsed
by the NCAE, received $5,100 during the 2016 first-quarter reporting period from the union, $4,000 during 2016’s third-quarter period, $1,000 during the 2019 mid-year report period, and $5,400 (the maximum contribution permitted in North Carolina) during the second quarter of 2020, according to campaign finance
records
. All told, Cooper has received more than
$22,000
from the NCAE since first running successfully for attorney general in the mid-1990s. He also received more than
$84,000
from government unions during the same time frame.

By rejecting education reform at the behest of union leaders, Cooper is at odds not just with parents and students, but with some members of his own party. Three Senate and eight House Democrats supported the bill to advance in-person learning despite the NCAE’s opposition.

Going forward, Gov. Roy Cooper (D-Teachers Unions) would be an apt description.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Kevin Mooney (
@KevinMooneyDC
) is a senior investigative reporter at the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank, and writes for several national publications.

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North Carolina

Key Ole Miss Transfer Target Thaddeus Dixon Chooses North Carolina Over Rebels

Published

5 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

Key Ole Miss Transfer Target Thaddeus Dixon Chooses North Carolina Over Rebels

The Ole Miss Rebels have made strong moves in the transfer portal this offseason, but the program missed out on a key contributor on Saturday when cornerback Thaddeus Dixon pledged to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Ole Miss was in the race late for Dixon, but a deciding factor in his decision to join the Tar Heels may have boiled down to Carolina’s hiring of former Washington assistant Armond Hawkins as defensive backs coach. Dixon is a transfer from the Washington Huskies, so familiarity in his new home likely played a role.

BREAKING: Washinton transfer CB Thaddeus Dixon has committed to North Carolina, @Hayesfawcett3 reports🐏https://t.co/pcXs7hjbOS pic.twitter.com/6g5D02NC7V
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) January 18, 2025

READ MORE: Will Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons Continue Playing Baseball in 2025?

So, where do the Rebels go from here? Ole Miss has already gained some key pieces in its secondary out of the transfer portal (including CB Jaylon Braxton of Arkansas), but Lane Kiffin’s team will probably still be seeking some help in the defensive backfield as the transfer portal continues to move.

According to On3’s current transfer portal class rankings, Ole Miss has the third-best haul in the country, behind Texas Tech and Missouri. The Rebels have seen 23 players transfer into the program so far this offseason, and that number could continue to grow between now and kickoff of the 2025 season.

Ole Miss opens its 2025 campaign on Aug. 30 at home against Georgia State.

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Ole Miss Lands Former Louisville QB Pierce Clarkson Via Transfer Portal

Former Ole Miss Football Superstar AJ Brown Named AP All-Pro Second Team

The Pete Golding Effect: How Ole Miss Football Will Reload Defensively in 2025

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North Carolina

Thaddeus Dixon Joins in Husky Exodus to North Carolina

Published

13 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Thaddeus Dixon Joins in Husky Exodus to North Carolina

In a postseason recruitment that was raw and revealing at times, where decorated cornerback Thaddeus Dixon suggested in social media postings that University of Washington football fans wanted him to come back more than the coaches, apparently received all the assurances he needed at North Carolina.

On Saturday, the senior defensive back from Long Beach, California, told On3 he would join the Tar Heels for his final season of college football, adding to a growing list of one-time UW players and coaches headed to Chapel Hill.

So far, the departing group includes linebacker Khmori House, safety Peyton Waters, wide receiver Jason Robinson Jr., defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and defensive analyst Armond Hawkins, all moving from Montlake to the ACC.

The 6-foot-1, 187-pound Dixon would have given the Huskies three highly accredited corners, joining fellow UW starter Ephesians Prysock and Arizona transfer Tacario Davis, to fill out a secondary that could have had few equals this coming season, and still might.

BREAKING: Washington star transfer CB Thaddeus Dixon has Committed to North Carolina, he tells @on3sports
The 6’1 195 CB totaled 69 Tackles, 16 PD, 1 FF, & 2 INT in 2 seasons with the Huskies
Ranked as a Top 10 Player in the Portal (No. 2 CB) per On3https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/bePHJU7wP7
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 18, 2025

Dixon reportedly took recruiting visits to Mississippi and North Carolina, and fielded overtures from Michigan, before settling on the Tar Heels.

The disconnect for Dixon appeared to show up when the Huskies landed a portal commitment from the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Davis, a second-team All-Big 12 pick this past season, presumably to take his vacated spot.

The 6-foot-4, 193-pound Prysock and Davis teamed together at Arizona in 2023, with both earning All-Pac-12 honorable-mention accolades.

Dixon originally was supposed to run out of college eligibility when the season ended, hence the Huskies went looking for cornerback help, but the NCAA gave the veteran an extra year when it changed the rules governing players with junior-college backgrounds. He came to the UW from Long Beach Community College.

One of the Huskies’ top individual success stories this past season, Dixon went from a back-up player in 2023 to unseat returning starter Elijah Jackson, who opened all 15 games for the national runner-up team.

Thaddeus Dixon soaks up the moment after an Apple Cup interception. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Moving into the lineup, Dixon started 12 of 13 games and received All-Big Ten honorable-mention honors for Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff. He had a team-best 10 pass break-ups, an Apple Cup interception and several textbook tackles in the open field. He’s easily made himself into an NFL prospect.

With three accomplished cornerbacks, the Huskies could have picked two starters and put the odd man out at nickelback.

Dixon clearly wasn’t going to go that route at the UW, likely figuring his past performance should have provided him with more cornerback guarantees.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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North Carolina

Bill Belichick's girlfriend seemingly shuts down rumors coach will leave North Carolina for NFL

Published

21 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Bill Belichick's girlfriend seemingly shuts down rumors coach will leave North Carolina for NFL

Bill Belichick’s girlfriend on Thursday seemingly shut down any talk of her boyfriend leaving the North Carolina Tar Heels football program for a job in the NFL.

Jordon Hudson responded to rumors that suggested Belichick had one foot out the door when it came to his Tar Heels gig. Belichick had been rumored to be interest in coaching the Dallas Cowboys, but the head coaching job wasn’t open until he had already committed to North Carolina. CBS Sports reported that Belichick didn’t sign his contract with the school.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Oct. 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey: Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson enter the field before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

She posted a photo on her Instagram showing the two posing with a football and Belichick dressed in Carolina blue.

“Pictured: two people who are overtly committed to @uncfootball,” she wrote as the caption.

Michael Lombardi, who is the general manager of the North Carolina football program, also threw cold water on the rumors of Belichick jumping back to the pros.

EX-NFL COACH JON GRUDEN RIPS STATE OF COLLEGE SPORTS

Dec. 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC: Jordon Hudson, the girlfriend of Bill Belichick, in attendance at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

“Bill is recruiting in DC today, and Baltimore tomorrow. His focus is on North Carolina football, hiring staff members and developing the team. The NFL isnt a option so please stop making it one. Thank you,” he wrote on X in response to the CBS Sports report.

“The reception towards UNC and Coach Belichick has been amazing from every school we visit. We are going to fight to keep North Carolina players here and bring the best to Chapel Hill,” he added.

Belichick was hired as the Tar Heels’ coach in December. He called the job a “dream come true.”

Bill Belichick fields questions from media

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

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“I’ve always wanted to coach in college football,” Belichick said in his introductory press conference. “It just never really worked out. Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. But this is really a dream come true.”

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