November 2023

Dear Friend,  

This autumn, as school is in full swing and the days become shorter, the needs of our neighbors are more important than ever. Teacher shortages and under-resourced public schools continue to hurt North Carolina’s education system, while colder days and higher energy costs strain household budgets. 

Despite these and other challenges, meaningful work is happening every day at the NC Justice Center—work made possible through our partnership with you.  

I hope you will join me and several of my NC Justice Center colleagues virtually on November 7 at noon to hear more about this work. We will take a closer look at the 2023 legislative session, its policy outcomes, and how we all move forward together to create a thriving and equitable state. 

In solidarity,  

Reggie Shuford 
Executive Director 

NC Supreme Court to rehear historic Leandro case

In a deeply damaging development for North Carolina’s public schools, the North Carolina Supreme Court will disregard precedent and rehear the Court’s landmark decision in Leandro IV, considering arguments that the same Court decided on less than a year ago. This decision to rehear the case, despite no substantial changes in fact or procedure during this brief period, would be procedurally inappropriate and would cause irreparable harm to the integrity of our state’s judicial system and our public schools.  

North Carolina's public schools are in dire need of the investments and policies laid out in the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan, a cause tirelessly championed by the dedicated staff of the NC Justice Center Education and Law Project. However, for nearly three decades, North Carolina lawmakers have failed to deliver on these crucial commitments. After years of underinvestment, exacerbated by the pandemic's impact on educational outcomes and growing mental health needs, along with severe teacher and staffing shortages across the state, and a looming crisis in early childhood systems, our education system is undeniably in crisis. 

On November 7, please join us from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM as we dive into the policy decisions made during the 2023 legislative session and their impact. During this informative hour-long session, North Carolina Justice Center policy experts Matt Ellinwood, Nicole Dozier, and Adam Svolto will break down the N.C. General Assembly’s conference budget, address the next steps for Medicaid expansion, and discuss the legislative impact on education in North Carolina. Executive Director Reggie Shuford will provide opening remarks. 

On October 5, 2023, the NC Justice Center’s Fair Chance Criminal Justice Project, in collaboration with the Center for Responsible Lending and Forward Justice, released a critical report titled “Waiving Criminal Court Fees Prevents Harms of Civil Debt.” The report found that the common practice of assigning fines and fees to North Carolinians involved in the criminal justice system and converting them to civil judgements when they are not paid in a timely manner causes lasting debt and financial hardship.

From 2017 to 2021 North Carolina judges ordered more than $94 million of criminal financial obligations docketed as civil judgments in 375,000 cases, and only 4.7% ($4.5 million) of that was collected by the end of 2021. Consequences of judgements for defendants can include accruing interest at a rate of 8%, losing the chance to expunge their criminal record, difficulty finding jobs and housing and more. 

Image credit: 180productionsgroup

North Carolina’s current transportation system needs transformative changes to meet our goals for racial equity, mobility, and climate change. Transportation is the largest source of air pollution in the United States, with environmental and health implications disproportionately experienced in low-income communities of color. It also is the second-highest household expense for most people. Did you know that a person’s commute time is the most critical factor in their chances of escaping poverty? 

Our transportation equity team at the NC Justice Center is actively participating in the Towards Equitable Electric Mobility (TEEM NC) community of practice, which brings advocates together across sectors to learn together and to advance policy goals related to equitable transportation. We recently hosted, along with our partners, a statewide convening in Raleigh to explore and address the transportation opportunities and obstacles communities face across our state. Topics included local community needs and challenges, the reality of existing environmental harms and the policies that allowed for their creation, the generational opportunity presented by historic federal funding programs, and breakout sessions for visioning and resource sharing. 

To learn more about these issues, view the video on green districts by CleanAIRE NC, and the Sol Story video on transportation justice. To explore collaboration possibilities with TEEM NC members, complete this signup form.

Seated: Jackie Perez-Albanil, Education Justice Alliance

Speaker: Gino Nuzzolillo, Common Cause NC

The #UniteNC Townhall Tour reached its final stop in Winston-Salem on October 26, 2023. Since July, Common Cause NC, in partnership with the NC Justice Center and other organizations in counties across the state, hosted a series of 25 town hall meetings. Partners, advocates, and community members came together to build shared power, hold lawmakers accountable, and champion people-first policies.

With an election year rapidly approaching, it is of paramount importance that North Carolinians are equipped and empowered to speak out against harmful policies in the state legislature. Sign up to receive updates from Common Cause’s #UniteNC campaign.

On October 1, 2023, Duke Energy Progress implemented another round of rate increases for retail consumers, resulting in a 10.1% increase in energy rates for the current year. These increases were approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission on August 18, 2023, as part of a multiyear rate plan that will raise consumer rates by 17.2% over the next three years, with additional 3.1% and 3.2% increases in the second and third years, respectively. 

Though unsuccessful at opposing the rate hikes, energy advocates from the NC Justice Center and other organizations successfully negotiated a partial settlement with Duke Energy, which includes a $16 million contribution from shareholders over the next three years to assist low-income households. As part of the settlement, Duke Energy agreed to establish a Customer Assistance Program, which would help Duke’s most vulnerable customers pay their monthly utility bills. However, this settlement is now at risk due to a notice of appeal filed by CIGFUR, a special interest group representing some of Duke Energy’s large industrial customers. The industry group’s appeal, if successful, would substantially harm low-income customers who are already struggling to afford energy payments, especially in light of the upcoming rate increases. Our staff are in the planning stages of defending the settlement against this attack. 

On Thursday, October 12, 2023, Director of Litigation Carlene McNulty and Senior Staff Attorney Kate Woomer-Deters presented to a delegation of migration experts from Spain on the NC Justice Center’s work on immigration in our state. The delegation came to the U.S. to learn about international migration issues, especially regarding unaccompanied minors, as a part of the International Visitor Leadership Program, the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program providing short term visits to current and emerging foreign leaders. Representatives from the NC Department of Health and Human Services also presented to the visiting delegation on their efforts, both by themselves and collaboration with the NC Justice Center in ensuring immigrants and refugees have access to benefits, services, language accessibility, and other programs.   

The North Carolina Justice Center
224 S. Dawson Street  | Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
919-856-2570 | contact@ncjustice.org

If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please (Unsubscribing is not supported in previews).