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EDUCATION
North Carolinians have a right to a quality education. Our State must have an outstanding educational system in order to produce an informed community, to promote economic development, and to build for an economic future characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment. We agree with Thomas Jefferson - a founder of our Party - that "any nation which expects to remain both ignorant and free expects that which never has been nor ever shall be."
We should strive for educational excellence for all persons - regardless of their race, age, gender, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, developmental disability, primary language, location, or station in life.
Every North Carolinian should be guaranteed a full and unfettered opportunity to develop his or her abilities to the greatest possible extent, including access to lifelong educational opportunities. We continue to support efforts to raise academic standards and close achievement gaps for all North Carolinians.
We recognize the many outstanding public and private schools, colleges, and universities in our State and believe that these institutions should be held up as models for others to admire and emulate.
We endorse the continued election of the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the enactment of legislation making the Superintendent of Public Instruction the Chair of the State Board of Education.
COMMUNITY COLLEGES: North Carolina's community colleges - begun by and fostered by North Carolina Democrats - play a vital role in enhancing the lives of our people and in paving the way for a brighter future for our State. We support adequate funding for all community college programs, including basic literacy programs, technical and vocational programs, new and expanded industrial training, small business centers, and occupational retraining.
EDUCATIONAL REFORM: Education must be in a continuous state of reform in order to permit our students to remain competitive in a changing world and to ensure that our public education system is accountable to the parents, students, taxpayers, and communities it serves. We encourage and support efforts of school systems to promote and maintain diversity. We support the continued decentralization of decision making in our public school system so that educators will have the flexibility to adapt and react to changing circumstances without undue bureaucratic interference. Local parents, teachers, and administrators deserve a stronger voice in the establishment of educational priorities.
PRESCHOOL AND AT-RISK CHILDREN: We support the principles behind Head Start, Smart Start and More at Four programs: Our young deserve the tools they need for success in school and in life.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS: We support superior educational opportunities for all North Carolina children, including efforts to reduce class size, and increased support for home-to-school transition programs. We support emphasizing the fundamental skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic while exposing children to innovative ideas, information about other cultures, and advancement in technology. We applaud the teaching of effective citizenship, civic involvement, and legal and social responsibility. We believe that every child in North Carolina should have equal access to all educational opportunities. We support the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education and believe that racial segregation of our schools is incompatible with equal opportunity for all. We support adequate funding for construction and maintenance of school facilities. as well as equipment and support services for at risk students and for after school programs in our public schools. We oppose any under funded or unfunded federal mandates. All children have the right to a public education that respects their religious freedom and traditions. We believe that any governmental mandates should be accompanied by appropriate funds by the mandating entity. Furthermore, we support the Leandro decision and full funding by the General Assembly to comply with it.
SCHOOL SAFETY: We believe that every child and educator has a right to be safe when attending school
SCHOOL VOUCHERS: We oppose the implementation of private and religious school voucher programs. Such a program would harm our public schools by diluting the financial support for those institutions and encouraging students to abandon the public school system.
TEACHERS: We believe good teachers - including college and university professors, instructors, and licensed classroom professionals - are among North Carolina's most valuable resources. We support continued efforts to produce, recruit, and retain highly qualified educators at all levels to ensure that our citizens receive an outstanding education. The way in which we compensate our educators should reflect our respect for the teaching profession. We recognize diversity in our society and believe our educational systems should reflect and honor that diversity, and to provide appropriate role models for our students.
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES: North Carolina's universities have achieved an international reputation for excellence in many fields. We wish to preserve this important part of our State's educational environment. Consequently, we support adequate funding for our public university system, the preservation of academic freedom at those institutions, equal access for all North Carolinians, maintaining low tuition for in-state students and the availability of financial aid for all qualified students with low and moderate incomes.
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: We support vocational education, including high school programs and post-high school high-tech studies under the leadership of the North Carolina Community College System, as an important initiative to prepare a skilled workforce for the future.