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Residents urge Union County board to publicly advocate for school funding, call for transparency
Summary
Two public commenters told the board it must publicly advocate for increased state funding and be more transparent about local school decisions; speakers named state representatives they said support vouchers and warned of strained classrooms in August and September.
Two members of the public used the allocated comment period to press the Union County Board of Education to take a more public stance on school funding and to improve transparency with families.
Reagan Shaw said the state budget was finalized but that North Carolina remains "dead last in the nation for public school funding effort." Shaw accused the board of repeatedly refusing to publicly advocate for increased funding, listing a series of monthly requests dating back to October 2023 and urging the board to "go out into the community" to speak about the funding crisis.
"Publicly advocating means going out into the community. It means talking about the public funding crisis," Shaw said.
Jen Sanders, who introduced herself to the board, echoed calls for transparency and questioned the district’s plans for "the 2627 school." Sanders criticized elected officials she said support vouchers and urged board members to hold district‑level meetings and meet with parents. She warned families to prepare for "really, really uncomfortable times come August and September," citing concerns about classroom sizes and teacher availability.
Both speakers named elected officials and policies they oppose in urging the board to be more visible and communicative. The board did not respond to public comments during the meeting beyond thanking speakers and moving on to agenda items; board policy limits responses during the public comment period.
Next steps: The board listened during the public comment period. Several speakers asked for public advocacy and district outreach; no formal board action was recorded during public comment.
