NC Chamber defends business tax cut for quality education for children WRAL.com

CBC Editorial: Monday, August 8, 2022; Editorial No. 8780
The following is a commentary by Capitol Broadcasting Company.

Last week, NC Chamber leaders of North Carolinians learned what they paid to eliminate the state’s corporate income tax — giving up support for public education and bowing to power brokers in the General Assembly.

When dozens of the state’s most prominent business leaders signed a brief that calls for full funding to ensure every child has access to a quality education — a right guaranteed by the state constitution — the state assembly issued an overreach. Attacking the court order that the current chairman of the group did not give permission for her name to be registered.

Three former state assembly chairs are the signatories and the current chair, Tom Bradshaw (one of those former chairs) Sepi Sadie, has agreed to sign up and said she will fund the effort. After announcing the names last week, the state council issued a heated statement saying it would not approve the order, and that the state council was not in favor of the order – it was against it. It was quickly removed from the list after she said she did not want her name to be among the signatories.

Not only did he disapprove of the order, he said he would oppose any court action requiring the government to pay any compensation for its failure — since the state Supreme Court’s order in 1997 — to fulfill its constitutional promise.

From 6.9% in 2011 to 2.5% in 2011 and zero by 2030, it can be concluded that this is the price paid by the State Council to the legislative leaders.

The council echoed the leadership of the General Assembly and looked at the issue from a partisan perspective, but the reality is the opposite.

The first Leonardo ruling was a unanimous court ruling that the state failed to provide all children with quality education. In the year In 2004, Republican Justice Robert Orr further strengthened the 1997 decision, writing in a unanimous vote that it is the state’s duty to ensure that every classroom is led by a well-trained and qualified teacher. That schools are led by well-trained, qualified administrators and that all schools have the resources to meet the needs of all children—including those “at risk”—so that all have access to a sound basic education.

Since our nation’s founding – and enshrined in North Carolina’s state constitution – there have been equal branches of government. It is the role of the courts – from the famous 1803 Marbury v. Based on the principles established by the Madison decision – to determine whether the administrative and legislative branches of government are acting in accordance with the law. If they don’t, it’s up to the courts to tell them how to fix it – and even with special remedies.

We understand very well that the leaders of the present legislative bodies of government believe that they are in power for themselves. They’re testing that idea — the so-called “independent state legislature” theory — that contested state courts can’t review the legislature’s actions regarding congressional redistricting.

It was time for the state legislature to provide leadership on behalf of public education and North Carolina’s school children. Governors like Jim Holshire, Jim Hunt and Jim Martin can count on the Council for advice, support and leadership in their efforts to provide needed resources to our schools.

The NC Chamber is aware of the public education needs of the state but has chosen to ignore them and put their financial interests ahead of what is best for our school children.

Note: Among the signatories to the business leaders’ amicus brief are Capitol Broadcasting Company Chairman and CEO James F. Goodman included.