In 1994, five rural counties took North Carolina to court, declaring that their students weren’t receiving the constitutionally guaranteed right to a sound, basic education. Since 1997, courts have stood with these students, yet compliance from the state has been delayed. The Leandro Plan, a carefully designed roadmap, outlines how North Carolina can build an equitable and effective public education system, offering universal access to early childhood education, support for educators and principals, well-resourced schools, and clear paths to career and college readiness.

Despite an NC Supreme Court order to fund the Leandro Plan with $5.54 billion and an available $4.75 billion in the rainy day fund, the state has yet to act. Public education impacts us all, whether we’re students, parents, educators, or community members. Join us in this movement to take Leandro out of the courtroom and place it where it belongs—at the heart of every North Carolina classroom. Together, we can turn this vision into reality!

Bring it home!

So what could Leandro mean for the students and schools in your community if the Leandro Plan was fully funded?

I’m so glad you asked! Our friends at Every Child NC broke it down by the numbers, county by county!

“Justice delayed is Justice denied.” MLK

In a January 2020 court order, State Superior Court Judge David Lee, stated, “…the state is further behind in providing a “sound basic education” than it was even in the 1990s, and that the state must “work expeditiously and without delay to take all necessary actions.”

Unfortunately, the words of the NC Supreme Court Justices was met with resistance. The General Assembly challenged the courts authority to make them fund the Leandro Plan during late summer of 2022.

November 4, 2022 was a decisive victory for “Leandro” and the people of NC. The courts determined North Carolina was required to invest $1.7B to fund years two and three of the Leandro Plan and ordered the controller to release the funds. Instead, the Controller waited until after the new NCSC bench was seated and filed a motion. In the budget that passed in September of 2023, the General Assembly funded about 11% of the plan while taking $203M away from public education and funneling the resources towards private schools via the voucher expansion that removed income restrictions for recipients. In December, the NCSC announced that it would hear Leandro v. NC February 22, 2024. We are still awaiting their verdict.

The people sued and the people decisively won on November 4, 2022. With each passing day, our state knowingly violates the constitutional rights of the children of our state. The battle was won in the court of law should not be in jeopardy today. The future of our children will remain in the balance until THE PEOPLE are aware and demand justice! The truth is, thriving children and a literate society is in the best interest of us all. We are all Leandro!