Bryan Proffitt, a high school history teacher and vice president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, speaks at a Raleigh news conference Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow/NC Newsline)
Education advocates, parents and teachers braved the cold Thursday as they urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to enforce its Leandro ruling and release about $1.7 billion for public schools, saying delays are hurting students statewide.
Speakers at the news conference described overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and deteriorating school buildings, and faulted both the court and the Republican-led General Assembly for what they called prolonged inaction.
“For nearly 700 days, the leadership of this court, backed by the same wealthy and corporate donors as their General Assembly counterparts, has refused to affirm and enforce the constitutional rights that we are guaranteed,” said Bryan Proffitt, a high school history teacher and vice president of the North Carolina Association of Educators.
The Leandro case, first decided in 1997 and reaffirmed in 2022, requires the state to provide every student with a “sound, basic education.” Advocates said the court’s decision to rehear the case and its delay in issuing a mandate have left school districts without money for staffing, special education services and building repairs.
Republican lawmakers have criticized the ruling, saying the state constitution gives the legislature sole authority over state spending and that courts cannot order appropriations.
Rhyan Breen, a Wilson County school board member and attorney, said part of the $1.7 billion at issue would be used for capital improvements. “In Title I counties, that funding is necessary,” he said.
State Rep. Rodney Pierce, a Democrat who represents Halifax, Northampton and Warren counties, said he was a former Leandro student and teacher and now has a child in public school. “Children across North Carolina are paying the price for political games and chronic underfunding,” he said.
Speakers cited schools without full-time teachers, heavy reliance on contract workers for special education and heating and cooling systems that fail. Profitt said educators have sent photos showing classroom temperatures as high as 85 degrees and as low as 45.
The group called on the court and the General Assembly to issue a ruling enforcing Leandro, release the disputed funds and pass a full state budget, which is now more than seven months late.
The case began in 1994, when five low-wealth rural counties sued the state over school funding. The N.C. Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that North Carolina was failing to meet its constitutional obligation, a decision it reaffirmed in 2022 when it ordered lawmakers to fund the first two years of a remedial plan.
Democrats controlled the General Assembly until 2011 but did not fully fund the remedies outlined in the Leandro case. In recent years, Republican lawmakers have also declined to appropriate the full amount called for in the court-ordered plan.
After the court shifted to a 5-2 Republican majority in 2023, justices agreed to reconsider that ruling. They heard arguments in February 2024 but have not issued a decision.
North Carolina ranks near the bottom nationally in teacher pay and per-pupil spending.
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