By Burley Mitchell Chief Justice Emeritus, NC Supreme Court CHARLOTTE (April 9, 2026) – As Chief Justice of North Carolina, I wrote the 1997 Leandro opinion for the state Supreme Court. There we declared for the first time that all the state’s children have the right under the state constitution to be provided the “opportunity… READ MORE
NC Supreme Court shoots down Leandro
RALEIGH (April 2,2026) – After nearly 32 years of litigation, the NC Supreme Court shot down a previous order from the courts today for the state to send $677.8 million to the state’s public schools. In a 4-3 decision with Republican Associate Justice Richard Dietz siding with the court’s two Democrats in dissent, the court… READ MORE
Leandro: NC’s children deserve a decision
RALEIGH (February 26, 2026) – More than two years ago, the North Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments in the latest chapter of Leandro v. State, the landmark case affirming that every child in this state has a constitutional right to a sound, basic education. Since then – silence. No ruling. No explanation. No clarity for… READ MORE
Playing charades or choosing children?
By Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity RALEIGH (December 17, 2025) – In North Carolina, we are watching a disturbing choice play out in real time: Playing charades over prioritizing the public educational needs of children. At a moment when students and districts are struggling under the weight of unmet… READ MORE
NC Supreme Court: Do the right thing for NC children
CHAPEL HILL (September 02, 2025) – We challenge the NC Supreme Court to do the right thing for North Carolina’s children. For nearly 30 years, North Carolina’s courts have delivered a clear verdict: every child deserves a sound, basic education guaranteed by our constitution and upheld by multiple Supreme Court rulings. There are constitutional mandates… READ MORE
What Leandro is and why you should care
How did it begin? Back in the early 1990s, parents and school boards in five rural counties (Hoke, Halifax, Robeson, Vance, and Cumberland) sued the state of North Carolina. They argued that their schools didn’t have the resources like teachers, textbooks, buildings, or funding to give kids the same opportunities as students in wealthier areas…. READ MORE
Leandro: Remember the children
RALEIGH (February 22, 2024) – In a lawsuit that’s lasted almost 30 years, lawyers argued before the NC Supreme Court today about lofty concepts like jurisdiction and who has authority to spend state dollars. Meanwhile, after decades of lawyers arguing, 69% of North Carolina children in 3rd through 8th grades don’t read at the level… READ MORE
BRAD WILSON: ‘Avenues of opportunity … for everyone’
RALEIGH (January 17, 2024) – To former Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Brad Wilson, public education is simply fundamental – as a moral responsibility to our fellow citizens, to workforce development, and to our economy. Wilson has worn many hats in public education in North Carolina. He served as general counsel to Gov. Jim Hunt…. READ MORE
Wilson on vouchers: ‘We need to be very careful’
RALEIGH (January 17, 2024) – State legislators like to shovel public dollars to private schools at the same time they short public schools. In the long-running Leandro case on state support for public schools, a judge ruled last April that the 2021-23 state budget fell $677.8 million short of the plan for PreK-12 education spending… READ MORE
Hopes for 2024
RALEIGH (January 4, 2024) – The 2024 elections will be important to America – and to the future of American democracy. But they also will be vitally important to the future of North Carolina and its children. From governor to state legislators to local school boards, the state’s voters will make critical choices up and… READ MORE
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