Governor Pat McCrory’s predictable response to the challenge the Justice Department’s letter finding HB2 to be discriminatory in court puts North Carolina at risk of losing up to $4.5 billion in federal education funding. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has already found that denying transgender people access to bathrooms is a form of sex discrimination, prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The Justice Department also found HB2 to violate the Violence Against Women Act and Title IX.
This year alone, North Carolina K-12 public schools received $861 million in federal funds. Those federal dollars are used to pay teachers, teacher aids, subsidize nutrition programs for low-income students, support economically disadvantaged students through Title I, and assist with disabilities through IDEA.
While McCrory’s budget director claims that increasing wages for teachers is a “matter of priority,” the Governor continues to demonstrate his willingness to put education dollars at risk in defense of discriminatory legislation.
North Carolina is already hemorrhaging educators: 14.8 percent of teachers in North Carolina left their positions in 2015. Educators fear that McCrory’s defense of HB2 will cost North Carolina additional teachers as federal funding is put at risk. With North Carolina’s legislature unable to agree on a modest pay increase for teachers, the necessity of federal dollars to buoy an already underfunded state education system is evident.
Published: May 9, 2016