Trump freezing money for NC schools is the latest cruel blow | Opinion

Year after year, we have seen portions of the state budget taken from our public school system and redirected to private schools. This gradual drain has left our public school system in a very tight financial situation.

Now, President Donald Trump has stopped the federal school support money from entering the state. He says we are using the money inappropriately. On some days, he’s a believer in states’ rights but on all days, he does not like inclusion and diversity type programs.

Our public school system which used to be a good place to get an education, now struggles. If we want to have public schools that actually teach, we have to provide the funding. Federal withholding and state redirecting away of funds is cruel. Cruel to NC, to school staffs and to the students.

Deborah Brogden, Durham

Helpless Durhamite

In response to Andrew Dunn’s “Republicans are right to save NC cities from themselves.”

What a relief it is to know that conservatives in Raleigh are looking out for my best interests since I am just a poor, innocent, ignorant, helpless Durhamite. “Urban drift” it is when local leaders make decisions, not self-government. Stepping into local government is “not obstruction, but engagement and clear, enforceable guardrails.”

That’s a consistent message, to be sure. Just look at the foreword to Project 2025, where the conservatives claim all the “humble, patriotic working families” and “the workers who shower after work instead of before.”

These are the conservatives who (just like their liberal opponents) gerrymander the state to ensure the under-representation of urban areas, the conservatives who decide to exempt themselves from the public records laws, who take over elections board to prepare for suspending decisions on votes. Thanks a lot.

David Hopp, Durham

Conflicted voters

Issac Bailey’s interesting July 11 column on an oft-discussed question about why some voters appear to cast their ballots for candidates who do not seem to promote their interests is timely and provocative. However, I think he misses two critical questions.

First, how do people rank their actual self-interests when they vote, and, second, how much do the voters actually know about the interests of the candidates? I think we often do not really understand their self-interests and how voters balance the benefits and costs of conflicting self-interests. For example, are economic concerns more important than religious concerns? Strong sampling surveys, carefully designed, would be extremely useful.

Larry Wolf, Garner

Russian onslaught

The Ukrainians have managed to survive another Russian onslaught. Another attack on their cities, their children and people while trying to hold the line. What is Trump doing? He’s feeling upset about how his dear friend Vladimir Putin has been treating him.

Additionally, Trump is contemplating what action to levy against Russia in fifty days, that’s 1200 hours. How much destruction and death can happen in that many hours? Does Trump even think about what can take place? This coming from the leader of the free world who was going to solve the problem in just one day.

Hopefully, NATO will be smarter, quicker and more caring and give to the Ukrainians what is needed to survive another day and increase the possibility of winning.

Rosemary McGee, Chapel Hill

Honkers

Thank you to the ones who honk! We see you. You are moving to and from work, hurrying to a doctor’s appointment or ferrying your children to wherever they need to be. You cannot join us on the street just now, but your horn gives us hope and energy to hold our protest flags and signs a little higher.

Maybe next time you will feel welcome to park and join us, because we are all together in spirit and purpose — to hold our nation up during this time of trouble and to stand together against tyranny.

Susan Davis, Apex

Correction: A July 17 op. ed. misstated the number of residents Helene left without drinking water from Asheville’s water system. The correct number is 100,000.

This story was originally published July 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Trump freezing money for NC schools is the latest cruel blow | Opinion."