School boards asked to use public money to support lobbying
Published September 10, 2013
by Bill Moore, The Beaufort Observer, September 9, 2013.
In April 2013 the NCSBA Board of Directors voted to authorize the creation of the NCSBA Action Center. It is a 501(c)(4) designed to strengthen local school board advocacy efforts. The NC School Boards Association is a 501(c)(3). However that is limited by law in the amount they can spend on advocacy and grass roots activities.
This "action center" will act separately from the regular School Boards Association. The initial Board met in July and elected officers and a proposed budget. It then invoiced member school boards asking for contributions. A copy of the invoice indicates "Amount Due" as in please pay not a request for a voluntary contribution.
This Action Center Board of Directors is made up of 4 members of the current NCSBA Board of Directors. It also has 5 school board members that are not members of the NCSBA Board of Directors. A direct quote as to intentions is:
"NCSBAC will not be empowered to do anything that is not congruent and consistent with NCSBA legislative agenda."
They claim it will not endorse candidates or establish a political action committee. They believe this "Action Center" "will provide the ability to raise additional revenue to engage in social networking efforts, expand our messaging, interact with the media and advocate for NCSBA legislation."
The NCSCA states they are positive this initiative will provide the extra resources to protect promote and defend school board governance and the NCSBA legislative agenda.
They contacted an attorney to see if local contributions to this action center were in violation of the law. Their attorney indicated that the action was legal since the NCSBA had reached its allowed spending limits as a 501(c)(3). Unlike the c-3, Federal law allows the 501(c)(4) (the Action Center) to "engage in unlimited advocacy for policy positions"
They are not considered a PAC since they will not endorse candidates. However, as with PAC's, they will attempt to influence legislation in support for their agenda
So it appears to be legal. However is it moral? Taxpayers already pay dues to the NC School Boards Association through membership of professional organizations paid by the local District. Is it fair for
them to take additional tax dollars to pay an "Action Center" for them to lobby for the NCSBA's agenda? In an age where Districts are complaining about shrinking dollars, expending thousands on political issues to influence the legislature is inappropriate. Instead how about using those funds in the classroom where it would do the most good.
I urge you to contact your school boards and tell them you want to use available funds to improve education in the classroom. Not to influence the agenda of the NCSBA.
September 10, 2013 at 11:25 am
Vicki Boyer says:
It used to be we could rely on our state legislators to support public education. That is no longer true. Public education may be in need of a group to speak for them.
The question that arises is, if it is acceptable to see tax dollars leave the state in the form of 'profits' from charter school management companies and to see it go into the coffers of private schools, why is this so bad??
September 10, 2013 at 5:08 pm
TP Wohlford says:
Vicki -- so many issues that you hit, but none on target for me.
1. Legislators do in fact represent your interests. Most educators vote "Dem" overwhelmingly. Your side lost, and what you're hearing now is mostly propaganda meant to scare you and others into a different outcome in the next election. This would be the same as if you'd be in a strong teachers union state (ie, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc).
2. In other states, there are strong teacher's unions that are said to support the devil himself if he were a Dem (MEA in Michigan proved it when they supported Jack Kevorkian's atty for Gov). Same stuff happens there as here. And in fact, it is hotly debated that such organizations are "For" education or educators -- they seem to be "for" the union staff and Dem politicians.
3. I did some work for a huge charter school district a couple of years ago. I didn't see huge money leaving one state to go to another. Charter schools are not the answer they were supposed to be, but neither are they the devil you've been lead to believe. Again, teachers seem to be easily lead by fear.
And tell me -- if your kids were in the Detroit Public School district (where some of the charter schools were that I worked with) wouldn't you want an alternative?
