Perdue and McCrory Debate Education

The debate topics this evening are education, immigration, and the economy.  Two of these issues have been hot topics for the developmental disability community: education and the economy.

UNC just released a report detailing the financial difficulties that families with a disabled child are currently facing in North Carolina.

Education:
On Education both candidates agree that addressing the dropout rate in North Carolina is a priority.  (The dropout rate for children with disabilities is over 40%).  How the candidates addressed this issue in very different ways.  Pat McCrory spoke to the need to offer specific targeted scholarships to students with disabilities and students in poverty who are not being served appropriately by their schools.  Bev Perdue stated that our state's constitution requires that North Carolina provides a free and public education system.  Her plan for improving the state schools includes better teacher pay and holding teachers accountable, creating a pathway to higher education that would include vocational education and community college opportunities. Pat McCrory also agreed with the need to create more vocational education opportunities for students.