As a policy analyst and opinion journalist, I have spent much of my career advocating the expansion of choice and competition in education. I purposefully use both of those terms, because I think that families making choices and schools competing for students are distinct but mutually reinforcing mechanisms for improving educational outcomes.

While election scandals, national issues, and candidate announcements for 2019 and 2020 races have dominated the political headlines, North Carolina is continuing to head in the direction of greater freedom. That’s welcome.

RALEIGH — The state panel that determines how much money North Carolina can prudently borrow over the next 10 years rejected an appeal Wednesday by Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget director to triple the state’s debt ceiling from $2.03 billion to more than $6 billion.

RALEIGH — A group of House Republicans got an early start to the new General Assembly session by re-introducing a bill Wednesday to propose a state constitutional amendment restricting eminent domain.

As state superintendent of North Carolina’s public schools, I often hear from other leaders that standardized tests help hold students, teachers, and schools accountable. Accountability is important for our schools but also for our leaders. The testing system that the education-industrial complex built over the past decade forces our students and teachers to endure too many high-stakes tests layered on by federal, state, and local authorities. 

It must stop. 

RALEIGH — For years, independent health-care providers have resisted consolidation in the medical market. State Treasurer Dale Folwell hopes to lend them a hand with State Health Plan payment reforms.

While they may not literally “steal Christmas” per se, “Grinches” seem to be alive and well across the country during the holiday season — especially in the Carolinas.  

RALEIGH — The 2017-18 session of the N.C. General Assembly wrapped up Thursday, setting a record by overriding the 22nd and 23rd vetoes of the biennium.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper set a record of his own by rejecting 28 items of legislation during his first two years in office. Cooper easily surpassed Democrat Bev Perdue, who vetoed 20 bills over her four-year term.

Back in the day, North Carolina had a long session of the legislature in odd-numbered years and short session of the legislature in even years. During the long session, the General Assembly passed a budget that would serve the state for two years. It was based on revenue projections. In the short session, which was supposed to last about three weeks, the legislature would reconvene to make adjustments to the budget based on actual revenue and changes in the projections. 

ROCKINGHAM — North Carolinians will need to show identification at the polls in future elections.

The N.C. House of Representatives voted 72-40 on Senate Bill 824 Wednesday to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto. The state Senate passed the bill 33-12 on Tuesday.