North Carolina’s public school leaders predict that they may be facing student enrollment declines of up to 20% for the 2020-21 school year due to COVID-19. Fewer students translates into potentially significant reductions to school budgets that are already substantially underfunded, and could result in teacher and staff layoffs that could come this school year — an already chaotic time for students.
The Public School Forum has released a policy brief exploring this crisis and potential solutions. In our August 2020 Education Insights, we break down how school funding works in North Carolina, look at various budget scenarios, and outline what this would mean for students across our state.
