Carolina Journal Radio No. 743: Long-running school funding lawsuit hits milestone

Twenty years have passed since the N.C. Supreme Court issued the first of its two rulings in the state’s long-running Leandro lawsuit. The case pits small, low-wealth school systems against the state in a clash over the state constitution’s guarantee that each student will have an opportunity for a “basic, sound education.” The 20th anniversary of the landmark court decision has prompted two recent developments. Terry Stoops, the John Locke Foundation’s vice president for research, analyzes those developments. You might reflexively answer “no” when asked whether N.C. legislators deserve a pay increase. But Duke University political scientist Nicholas Carnes suggests you might want to rethink that initial reaction. Carnes has studied the impact of higher legislative pay on the quality of legislative work and the type of people who run for office. He shares his findings. The Washington, D.C., headlines suggest that members of Congress spend all their time fighting partisan battles. First-term Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina says the truth is much different. During a recent speech in Asheville, Tillis explained that his service on the highly contentious Judiciary Committee has led to opportunities for bipartisan cooperation. Almost every structure built in North Carolina requires some type of permit. Reviews connected to those permits can lead to lengthy construction delays. A piece of legislation moving through the General Assembly this year aims to improve permitting efficiency. You’ll hear highlights from a legislative committee debate on the process. A committee of the UNC system’s Board of Governors has voted to ban UNC-Chapel Hill’s civil rights center from filing lawsuits. Chapel Hill campus leaders oppose the change. Carolina Journal Associate Kari Travis has been covering the story. She shares the latest developments and discusses whether the full BOG is likely to support the ban.