The first meeting of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education was held on Monday, April 27 in Raleigh.
In March, Gov. Josh Stein, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, and Speaker of the House Destin Hall announced the formation of the commission, according to a press release and accompanying executive order.
The commission has been charged to “study the structure and implementation of public education in the State,” including:
- Teacher training and student advancement,
- Administrative operations,
- Educational leadership, and
- Accountability.
The bipartisan commission is co-chaired by Anne Faircloth, president of Buffalo Investments & Lafayette Farms, and Don Martin, chair of the Forsyth County Commissioners and former school superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
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The commission’s first meeting
NC State University Chancellor Kevin Howell welcomed the commission to the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation where the meeting was held, noting the importance of the work ahead.
“It’s a historic coalition that has the potential to impact our state for generations to come,” said Howell.
Speaker Hall, who spoke via video, said, “North Carolina has the talent and the foundation in place to be the leader in education all across this country. So we’re bringing together top educators, business leaders, and others to take a look at how North Carolina does education and to see how we can do things better. It’s all about making sure that every student in this state in every corner of the state has the chance to succeed.”
The work of this commission is not related to the recent decision in the the Leandro lawsuit, said Martin, one of the co-chairs. But he said he believes “all the members of this commission are not only interested but committed to providing educational opportunities that would allow all North Carolina students to receive a sound, basic education.”
Martin also believes the work will align with at least four of eight pillars of the strategic plan adopted by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the State Board of Education, naming pillars one, five, six, and eight.
According to the agenda, the goals of the meeting included establishing a shared foundation for the commission’s work and process; building alignment around the commission’s purpose, priorities, and desired outcomes; discussing what the commission has been charged to do, current status, inputs needed, and next steps; and developing a common understanding of current student achievement in North Carolina.
DPI’s Michael Maher presented to the commission on the current state of student achievement, which you can watch at 3:28:48 in the video of the meeting.
“I’m really grateful that there’s bipartisan legislative representation,” said Gov. Stein, who closed out the meeting. “I think it shows that we are all in this together and trying to come up with solutions that will move the state forward in a constructive way.”
“We need to get this opportunity right,” he said.
Friday Institute to serve as administrative lead and strategic research partner
According to a press release, “The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation will serve as the administrative lead and strategic research partner for the newly formed Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education, supporting the coordination, convening, and evidence development behind its work.”
Friday Institute Director of Digital Learning Emma Braaten will lead this work along with staff and faculty including the institute’s Executive Director Krista Glazewski, Research Scholar Sarah Bausell, Senior Research Scholar Jaclyn Stevens, and Research Program Manager Mary Beth Piecham.
At the commission’s first meeting, Braaten said the commission will go through a process of discussion and inquiry, research and discovery, crafting recommendations, voting on the recommendations, and then production of a commission report. That’s the process that will be used for each of the commission’s focus areas, except that accountability will be interwoven with each of the other areas.
“This Commission is not a ceremonial effort. It will be a working Commission with a consequential charge. The strength of this group will come from its willingness to listen carefully, examine evidence honestly, surface tensions directly, and work toward recommendations that are both ambitious and practical,” Braaten said in the press release. “The Friday Institute’s ability to design meaningful engagement around complex issues will be a valuable asset throughout this process.”
“The future of North Carolina is not just somewhere ahead of us. The future is already sitting in our classrooms in each young learner, and they are worth the full measure of our commitment,” said Glazewski. “I’m exceedingly grateful to the Commission’s leaders and members for investing their time, expertise, and judgment in this work.”
Here is the landing page on the institute’s website for the commission. Here are the meeting dates for the commission, which is currently scheduled to meet through February 2027.
Who is serving on the commission?
The executive order requires that members “represent the geographic, professional, and demographic diversity of North Carolina.”
Twenty-nine of up to 30 members have been announced, all of whom were jointly appointed by Stein, Berger, and Hall. The 10 legislators will serve ex-officio, so there are 19 voting members.
- Anne Faircloth, President, Buffalo Investments & Lafayette Farms (Commission co-chair)
- Dr. Don Martin, Chair, Forsyth County Board of Commissioners (Commission co-chair)
- Mo Green, Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake
- Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon
- Sen. Dana Jones, R-Forsyth
- Sen. Brad Overcash, R-Gaston
- Sen. Gladys Robinson, D-Guilford
- Rep. Cynthia Ball, D-Wake
- Rep. Brian Biggs, R-Randolph
- Rep. Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg
- Rep. Brandon Lofton, D-Mecklenburg
- Rep. David Willis, R-Union
- Eric Davis, Chair, State Board of Education
- Jeff Cox, President, N.C. Community College System
- Brenda Berg, President & CEO, BEST NC
- Dr. Connie Book, President, Elon University
- Teresa Branch, School Board Member, Caldwell County Schools
- Matt Bristow-Smith, Principal, Edgecombe Early College High School, Edgecombe County Public Schools
- Dr. Jonathan Bryant, Chief Administrator, Lincoln Charter, Lincoln County
- Dr. Del Burns, Retired Superintendent, Wake County
- Allen E. Gant, Jr., Chair, Glen Raven, Inc.
- Dr. Jason Gardner, Superintendent, Mooresville Graded School District
- Lisa Godwin, Beginning Teacher Coach, Pender County Schools
- Peter Hans, President, University of North Carolina System
- Dr. Bill Harrison, Chair, North Carolina Public School Forum
- Marisha Merchant, Teacher, Onslow County Schools
- Anna Spangler Nelson, Chair, Spangler Companies, Inc.
- Dr. Robert P. Taylor, Superintendent, Wake County Public School System
Here is more information about the members of the commission.
Lisa Godwin, who serves on the commission and was the 2017 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, said on Facebook, “I am incredibly grateful for the chance to listen, learn, and lend my voice to conversations that matter so much. Public education has always been personal for me, and I am thankful to be part of the work of making it stronger for every child in North Carolina.”
The public is invited to submit comments to the commission
You may submit a public comment for the commission here. Comments will be received on a rolling basis, and to be included in meeting materials, comments must be received at least four business days before a meeting.
Editor’s note: Sergio Osnaya-Prieto contributed reporting to this article.
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