Politics

Edney threatens to freeze K-12 funding over School Board's calendar vote

By Bill Moss, Published: June 5, 2023

If Commissioner Michael Edney gets his way, the county would block funding to local K-12 schools unless the School Board rescinded its decision to flout state law and order a school start earlier than the law allows.

"This board cannot condone an intentional violation of state law ," he said, "and by funding their school board and doing so, it's assisting them in a violation of the law that violates our constitutional oath and duty and our moral duty not to tell the world that we're going to condone a violation of the law."

On Wednesday, Commissioner Daniel Andreotta made it clear that he's a no vote if Edney's idea becomes a motion on the table at Board of Commissioners meeting, asserting that he does not support defunding the schools.

You may be aware of a recent decision by the Henderson County Board of Education to amend the calendar for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. This decision, which was not unanimous, contradicts the calendar dictated by the North Carolina School System.
Our school students are the most important element in education. All this being said, I wish to make it clearly known that I do not support the withholding of funds from the Henderson County School System. While I understand the frustration regarding the school calendar, and while I appreciate all views on the recent local course ofaction, I do not believe that the withholding of funds is the appropriate response.

No matter how much School Board members justify the earlier start, Edney said, they have no right to ignore state law, something only a few counties have tried. One of them, Union, reversed its early-start vote when it was sued. Edney said he thinks the earlier start is a good idea, too, "but it's not up to me. It comes from Raleigh."

"We and the School Board are a division or department of state government and we can't thumb our noses at state government and state law any more than we can any other law," he said.

Board of Commissioners Chair Rebecca McCall asked, "So what does it mean?"

"It means when we get ready to send them however millions of dollars, their attorney's got to certify to our attorney that they're not doing anything to break the law," Edney responded. "If he wants to do that knowing they are, that's between him and whoever."

Conservatives, he noted, talk about progressive cities violating state and federal law on immigration and other matters. "We're not better than them if we're doing the same thing on another issue," he said.

Although Edney urged the board to make the order a condition of the budget, other commissioners said they wanted to understand the consequences better before acting. As it stands now, the board is expected to take up the proposed funding freeze on July 19. The new county budget allocates $50.6 million to K-12 public schools.

"You may be aware of a recent decision by the Henderson County Board of Education to amend the calendar for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year," Andreotta said in a statement issued Wednesday. "This decision, which was not unanimous, contradicts the calendar dictated by the North Carolina School System."

In fact, Andreotta's daughter, Alyssa Sherman, was one of three board members to vote when School Board voted to defy the state law and start early.
"Our school students are the most important element in education. All this being said, I wish to make it clearly known that I do not support the withholding of funds from the Henderson County School System. While I understand the frustration regarding the school calendar, and while I appreciate all views on the recent local course ofaction, I do not believe that the withholding of funds is the appropriate response."