If Leandro is dead, what’s next? From the Salisbury Post, 4/16/26

Tom Campbell: 32 years of kicking the Leandro can… and still kicking – If the court affirms that every child should be guaranteed the opportunity to a sound basic education, the next questions are to answer whose responsibility is it to uphold that guarantee, what will be required to do so and what happens if that entity fails to uphold that responsibility? These are essentially the questions first asked in 1994.

Longtime readers are probably going to gag on their granola when they read what I say next.

The North Carolina Supreme Court was right in their verdict about the Leandro Plan. It is not the duty or even right of our courts to dictate what and how much is appropriated for education. Our constitution is very clear about separation of powers. The appropriation of funds is the task of our General Assembly alone.

The Leandro saga has been kicked down the road since 1994 and we’re still kicking that can today. Allow me to summarize…

…The most obvious response is to change the faces in our General Assembly and replace them with persons who pledge to uphold Leandro (the right), lawmakers who will ensure public schools are properly funded, staffed by qualified educators, and held responsible for attaining those goals.

In November, we will elect all 170 members of the General Assembly. It is not too early to stake them out about Leandro. Will they vote to ensure our children have access to a sound basic education? Don’t accept less than a yes or no answer.

It’s time to stop this childish game of kick the can.

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/04/16/tom-campbell-32-years-of-kicking-the-leandro-can-and-still-kicking/

Mitch Kokai: Leandro’s end could open door to NC education reform – The state Supreme Court issued its first Leandro ruling in 1997. Justices agreed that provisions in the North Carolina Constitution guaranteed students the opportunity to access a “sound, basic education.” Yet the high court rejected plaintiffs’ plea to order more funding.

It’s not clear whether North Carolina’s top policymakers can reach bipartisan agreement on meaningful education reform.

But the state Supreme Court recently removed a key obstacle. By a 4-3 vote, the high court ended the 32-year-old Leandro lawsuit.

Critics blame the court for shirking its duty to help guarantee North Carolinians access to a sound, basic education. Yet over the past decade, developments in the long-running Leandro case muted meaningful dialogue about reform.

Justice Richard Dietz was the only Republican who disagreed with the high court’s April 2 decision to shut the case down. But Dietz’s dissent opened with a good explanation of why Leandro’s end should produce more good than harm.

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/04/16/mitch-kokai-leandros-end-could-open-door-to-nc-education-reform/