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Manteo resident urges Dare County Board to press legislature and challenge Leandro decision
Summary
Katherine Fagan urged the board to demand full public school funding, to oppose use of public dollars for private (largely religious) schools, and to consider bringing a new lawsuit to reverse the Leandro decision.
At the April 13 meeting of the Dare County Board of Education, Manteo resident Katherine Fagan used the public-comment period to urge the board and boards across the state to press the legislature to fully fund public schools and to push back on the effects of the Leandro decision.
"We need funding. Public education is the whole basis for democracy," Fagan told the board, arguing that public dollars shifted toward private schools are constraining school budgets. She said boards should collectively demand the legislature use tax dollars for public schools and suggested pursuing a new lawsuit if necessary: "We need to reverse this Leandro decision... Bring a new lawsuit and demanding that our legislature use our tax dollars not for private schools."
Fagan framed the issue as nonpartisan: "It's not Democrat versus Republican. It is an American ideal. It is not a partisan ideal." No board response or formal direction to staff was recorded in the transcript during the public-comment period.
Context: The Leandro litigation concerns state constitutional obligations to provide a sound, basic education; Fagan urged local boards to act in concert and to pursue legal and legislative remedies. The board acknowledged the comment but took no immediate action during the meeting.
