This morning I reluctantly watched a new anti-Tillis ad from the National Education Association (NEA). (If you have a hearty constitution and want to watch it, go here.) It is part of a seven-figure ad buy by the nation’s largest teachers union.
The new ad, which features Chapel Hill teacher and activist Vivian Connell, did not mention the universally-panned claim that the N.C. General Assembly cut $500 million from public education. Instead, it focused on class size, arts and athletic programs, and teacher turnover.
Here are a few of my observations:
– According to N.C. Department of Public Instruction data, average class sizes in core subjects increased in some grades and dropped in others. Typically, class size averages changed by no more than one or two students.
– It is difficult to track funding for the arts. While we know that the number of courses and students enrolled in Visual Arts (K-8) increased since 2011, we do not know if that is or isn’t related to funding changes.
– Funding for athletic programs is irrelevant. The state legislature has no role in funding sports, only physical education.
– The state’s teacher turnover rate has been on the rise, but we have no empirical research suggesting that Republican policies are to blame.
Finally, Connell works for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools, which is hardly representative of the typical public school district in North Carolina. And that is a good thing.
