Republicans Take Credit for Historic Graduation Rates

By Mildred Robertson

August 4, 2012

Recent figures released by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction indicate that, for the first time in our state’s history, 80.2% of North Carolina public high school students will graduate on time.

Oddly enough, Republicans are trying to take credit for this accomplishment after taking a sledgehammer to North Carolina’s nationally renowned education system during the last legislative session.

In a recent release they stated that this graduation rate was based upon the actions of the Republican General Assembly which passed crippling legislation that cut the NC DPI off at the knees. The Republican-led General Assembly made huge cuts in education that will negatively impact our school system for years to come.

Therein lies the irony. While it takes 13 years to matriculate through the system, the Republican spin mill is claiming that in one year, their draconian cuts have taken effect and resulted in a higher graduation rate. In fact, these accomplishments have occurred despite their actions.

It would be laughable if it were not so scary, because the truth will actually be told 13 years from now, unless North Carolinians step up to the plate and turn the tables on these radical conservatives. If North Carolinians do not take back their state house, they will remain captive to politicians willing to cut education and social services to the bone in false homage to fiscal conservatism.

North Carolina is recognized among the best places in America for businesses to locate in large part because of its historic commitment to public education. That could all be wiped away in less than a decade unless we return to the policies that positioned us to earn those accolades.

We can’t do that with politicians more interested in ideology than good governance. We can’t do that with leaders who will spin truth to support a lie. In their release they accused  Governor Perdue and Democrats of using the children of North Carolina as political pawns, when, in fact it is they who have engaged in such despicable conduct.

It is callous of the Republicans to fail to acknowledge the success of the North Carolina education system over the past decade to improve outcomes for our students. It is equally callous to remain unwavering in their crusade to dismantle this system, while taking credit for its success.