Public education is the cornerstone of democracy, economic opportunities, and a healthy society. These words, said by Rebecca Trammel, define the mission of Community Conversations. With eyes set on a future where every student has the opportunity to thrive, the organization is calling upon the hearts and wallets of investors and leaders who share her vision of education. This initiative follows the nonprofit’s previous success – obtaining a $50,000 grant to promote wide-scale awareness for the $5.54 billion settlement that can have a dramatic impact on the 1.5 million students attending public schools in North Carolina.
Community Conversations was officially established in the spring of 2019 to address local educational issues. Later that fall, the founder became aware that challenges faced in her own community were also being experienced by students and educators across North Carolina, and that there was a statewide remedy – The Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan. ‘The Leandro Plan’ is a court-ordered remedy of corrective actions and a corresponding budget of $5.54 billion.
While the North Carolina business and economy landscapes are breaking records, with the state ranking #1 in the US for economic growth and stability in 2022 and 2023, its schooling realm sinks to depressing lows. For instance, the most recent “Making the Grade” report from the Education Law Center ranked North Carolina 48th out of 51 (including D.C.) in cost-per-pupil funding. It was also ranked second-last for spending effort. According to My Future NC, in 2023, 31% of North Carolina students in grades 3-8 earned college-and-career-ready scores on the reading end-of-grade exam.
Community Conversations strives to bridge these industry-wide gaps by offering practical solutions that drive long-term results. The nonprofit’s mission is personal; at the time of founding, Rebecca got engaged in a case of a local first-grade girl who didn’t receive a gift from her teacher at the holiday party with the rest of her peers. Rebecca took to social media to ask the community to drop off presents at her elementary school, hoping to soothe her sorrows. By the next afternoon, the office was filled with toys, books, ornaments, and other gifts for the girl, to show love from her community. This story had a fairytale ending, but for Community Conversations, it was the beginning of addressing structural and systemic challenges.
In 2019, Community Conversations organized a group of activists to publicly condemn New Hanover County’s redistricting plan, which reinforced the standing inequities and segregation. The coalition of advocates proposed eight corrective actions to mitigate the impact of creating schools that would be under-resourced and overextended. Unfortunately, the New Hanover County school board brazenly chose to disregard the concerns of local advocates and went through their plan. However, in the process, Rebecca learned of the Leandro v. North Carolina case and noticed the striking similarities between the interventions in the Leandro Plan and the corrective actions proposed by the local coalition. The court proceedings promised not only a blueprint but a budget that could be easily funded by the state to deliver on its constitutional promise of a sound education to every child.
Leandro v. North Carolina is a lawsuit originally filed by five rural counties in 1994, aiming to address the challenges permeating public education. For over three decades, the case has not led to much resolution, with the State ignoring North Carolina’s Supreme Court verdicts and minimum requirements of $5.54 billion investment over 8 years in early childhood education and K-12 public schools.
The Leandro Plan promises to implement a system of teacher development and recruitment, ensuring each classroom is staffed with a high-quality teacher supported with early and ongoing professional learning and provided with competitive pay. It also hopes to elevate schools with high-quality principals dedicated to seeing all children thrive. With equitable pay, adequate resources, and a system of assessment and accountability, the Leandro Plan prioritizes the needs of students and dedicated educators.
In 2024 Community Conversations launched the #IAmLeandro campaign to make Leandro a household name in North Carolina and bring national awareness to the crisis in the state. With more people-centric policies and immense potential to reshape public education, Community Conversations is calling for State leaders to support and implement the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan, paving a path towards a more just and stable economy and a brighter future for North Carolina. Community Conversations is seeking like-minded investors to get involved with a unique opportunity to be part of this revolutionary movement that champions a thriving future.
Other ways to contribute include signing a live petition open to anyone, spreading awareness and education, and publicly standing up for what is right
Looking ahead, Community Conversations will host weekly workshops to illuminate the Leandro Plan’s potential and engage in advocacy efforts. It will also commence the state-wide #IAmLeandro tour and interview people from all walks of life across the state, determined to showcasing the relevance of public school funding for the students and broader society as well.
“Our mission has always been to cultivate prosperity so every child has access to the education they need to succeed. The state has to release the funds to right this wrong,” she asserts. “I greatly cherish people, children, and justice. I simply cannot watch this situation unfold without doing everything I can to prevent the catastrophe of millions of children never reaching their full potential, or even being able to take care of themselves. This is preventable, and the main thing that stands between children and a sound basic education is adequate funding.
