STATEMENT: Attempts to overturn Leandro decision disregard precedent and violate the educational rights of our state’s children

RALEIGH (March 8, 2023) — The North Carolina Justice Center is deeply disturbed by recent attempts by the State Controller and legislative leadership to disregard precedent and rehear the N.C. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Leandro III, which is only months old. Nothing about this case has changed factually or procedurally in this short period of time. The decision to rehear this case is procedurally inappropriate and would cause irreparable harm to the integrity of our state’s judicial system.

These recent attempts are part of a persistent, three-decades-long pattern of obstruction and denial of the educational resources and opportunities owed to our state’s children under North Carolina’s constitution.

We urge all parties to reconsider these actions and stop standing in the way of the provision of resources to our schools, communities, and children. North Carolina’s public schools face extraordinary challenges following decades of underinvestment, the impact of the pandemic on educational outcomes and burgeoning mental health needs, and teacher and staffing shortages in all districts across the state. Our education system is truly in crisis and desperately needs the constitutionally required resources that continue to be denied.

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