Press Releases

For Immediate Release Contact: Gerrick Brenner Phone: 919-452-2248 May 17, 2012 Tillis Should Pay Disgraced Staffers Out of His Own Pocket   RALEIGH -- Progress North Carolina today called on NC House Speaker Thom Tillis to reimburse the state for money paid to two former staffers who resigned in disgrace after admitting to inappropriate romantic relationships with lobbyists. It is an improper use of taxpayers' money to give an extra month's salary for no work, when both employees could have been fired for cause."Thom Tillis has betrayed the taxpayers' trust once again," said Gerrick Brenner, Executive Director of Progress NC. Read More

RALEIGH -- Progress North Carolina today released the following statement regarding Gov. Perdue's proposed budget adjustments for 2012-13.   "State lawmakers are staring at a gaping three-quarters of a billion dollar hole in our K-12 schools. They need to fill that hole completely to strengthen our schools. We applaud Gov. Perdue's for acknowledging the stark reality and presenting a pragmatic plan to deal with it. Her proposal goes a long way, but it does not fill the entire budget hole in public schools.   Legislators in the General Assembly need to stop pretending their cuts are not harming our schools. Read More

Progress North Carolina today released the following statement regarding NC House Speaker Thom Tillis' failure to attend today's legislative special session:   "Plummeting approval ratings and protests against an 'Out of Control' legislature must be getting to Speaker Tillis, because he did not even bother to show up for today's special session," said Gerrick Brenner, Executive Director of Progress North Carolina. "Last session, he kicked out citizen demonstrators from the General Assembly. Then he spent the next two months refusing to meet with opponents. Today he decided to just stay home rather than face the people."   Today was a Read More

Time for Gubernatorial Candidates to Weigh in on NC Pre-K New Report Highlights Early Education Crisis   RALEIGH - A new report from the National Institute for Early Education Research released today indicates North Carolina has lost its leadership position on Pre-K. State lawmakers cut the program by 20% last year and are contemplating further cuts and restrictions this year. We know where lawmakers stand on Pre-K, but now is the time for the gubernatorial candidates to weigh in.   "NC Pre-K as we know it is clearly in danger, yet the gubernatorial candidates have been strangely quiet on Read More

RALEIGH -- Progress North Carolina today thanked the NC State Board of Education for holding a meeting with local school superintendents to discuss how budget cuts have affected the classroom. The State Board is acting today, when state lawmakers have not. Speaker Thom Tillis promised superintendent hearings in July and has continued to call for them with no follow-through.   "We will finally get the truth straight from the superintendents about how state budget cuts have affected teachers, students and the classroom," said Gerrick Brenner, Executive Director of Progress North Carolina. "We've had enough bluster and obfuscation by state Read More

Progress NC Challenges Lawmakers to Release Evidence for NC Pre-K RecommendationsCommittee Report Driven by Ideology, Not Evidence RALEIGH -- Progress North Carolina today called on Reps. Justin Burr and Rayne Brown, co-chairs of the House Select Committee on Early Education Improvement, to release evidence in support of their committee recommendations. Among the recommendations made by the committee are reducing the number of children who will be eligible for NC Pre-K and privatizing all providers.   What the committee does not do is provide any evidence to support their conclusions. The committee report recommends reducing eligibility for the NC Pre-K program, Read More

Troxler Remains Silent on Butterball Tip-Off Progress NC Files Public Records Request Seeking Answers When Ag Commissioner Eludes Serious Questions    RALEIGH -- Progress North Carolina today called on Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler to answer serious questions about his agency's apparent obstruction of justice in the criminal investigation of a Butterball turkey farm in Hoke County.     "More than a week has gone by since news broke of the Butterball tip-off and yet Steve Troxler remains silent," said Gerrick Brenner, Executive Director of Progress North Carolina. "A high-ranking employee inside the NC Dept. of Ag admits to committing Read More

  Does Steve Troxler Respect Law Enforcement? Serious questions remain     RALEIGH - Statement from Gerrick Brenner, Executive Director of Progress North Carolina, regarding the Agriculture Commissioner's behavior during the recent investigation of a Butterball turkey farm in Hoke County.    "It is absolutely inappropriate for any public official to tamper with a law enforcement investigation, much less, tip off an offender about a upcoming raid. Commissioner Troxler has some serious questions to answer about his agency's attitude towards the rule of law.   Questions Commissioner Troxler must answer:   1) Did Commissioner Troxler instruct Dr. Sarah Mason to Read More

NCGA POLL: Rep. Crawford Vulnerable in Democratic PrimaryTight races in Wake, Buncombe counties   RALEIGH -- Over the next two weeks Progress North Carolina will conduct polls of likely voters in swing legislative districts across North Carolina to help answer this question: Can progressives retake control of the General Assembly?   "The most recent round of legislative redistricting has left many progressives frustrated, but they should not be," said Gerrick Brenner, Executive Director of Progress North Carolina. "There are competitive districts all over the state if the right people step up and run for office."   According to the first Read More

STATEWIDE POLL: NC General Assembly's Approval Tanks, Majority Think Midnight Vote was Inappropriate RALEIGH - A new survey of likely voters conducted over the weekend for Progress North Carolina shows the North Carolina General Assembly's approval rating tumbling to a dismal 16%. In addition, 65% of respondents said it was inappropriate to vote on legislation in the middle of the night. "North Carolina voters are not happy with lawmakers who are out of control," said Gerrick Brenner, Executive Director of Progress NC. "Taking key votes while some Democrats were sick or in the hospital is unethical and voters are saying it Read More

And the winner is...... click here to learn who won our 2011 Jones Street Heisman... . . . . . . . . December 8, 2011 Six Nominated for the Jones Street Heisman Trophy Please visit our Facebook page to vote for the winner, or email us at admin@progressnc.org with your choice!  Raleigh -- Progress NC today announced the six finalists for the 2011 Jones Street Heisman Trophy. The Jones Street Heisman is given each year to the politician(s) with the most outstanding example of penalty-worthy conduct on the political playing field. Whether you cheer for the Pack or Pirates, the Read More

December 6, 2011 June Atkinson is MIA on Teacher CutsWill she or won't she stand up for teachers?   RALEIGH -- Progress North Carolina today called on State Superintendent June Atkinson to stand up and fight for teachers and teaching assistants laid off due to state budget cuts. The biggest issue facing public education in North Carolina right now is the more than $400 million in cuts to local schools in the state budget and the issue isn't going away. Local school systems face even bigger challenges next year as federal EduJobs money runs out.   Yet, Superintendent Atkinson remains Read More

November 29, 2011   Lawmakers Remain Clueless, Indifferent to the Children of North Carolina   Fourth special session is another wasted opportunity   RALEIGH -- Progress North Carolina today called on state lawmakers to quit wasting time and money when North Carolina's children are suffering at their hands. While lawmakers admit their budget wasn't perfect, they seem completely uninterested in the problems created by their budget including higher class sizes and shutting out 6,000 four-year-olds from the renowned NC Pre-K program. "Lawmakers seem clueless and indifferent to the consequences of their state budget," said Gerrick Brenner, Executive Director of Progress North Carolina. Read More

ESC jobs report shows fewer government jobs in September   RALEIGH -- Before a meeting of the Education Oversight Committee on Oct. 4, Co-Chair Senator Jerry Tillman of Randolph County defended the state budget, reiterating the promise that lawmakers made to protect teachers and teacher assistants - despite evidence to the contrary.  Sen. Tillman even went a step further, claiming all the teachers that had been laid off were being rehired.   Sen. Tillman: "Check the ESC report that's coming out October 21st, and you will see that there are few if any teacher positions lost, or teacher assistants."   Read More

Real Data from NC Public Schools Reveals Fraudulent Claims by State Lawmakers and Underscores Need to the Pass the President's American Jobs Act Progress North Carolina today called on State Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and other state lawmakers to admit their broken promises to "protect the classroom" and to correct their damage to North Carolina's public schools by supporting President Obama's American Jobs Act. Sen. Berger said that one of three basic promises Republicans made this is was to "protect the classroom." See here. In June, Berger said, " You said you wanted full funding for teachers and teacher Read More

Progress NC continues the Pink Slip Truth Tour in Asheville, Charlotte   RALEIGH -- A new survey conducted for Progress North Carolina shows that a majority of North Carolina voters believe state lawmakers are not telling the truth about their education budget.   Layoffs of thousands of classroom teachers and teacher assistants stand at odds with promises to "protect the classroom." Back in June during the heat of state budget debates, NC House Speaker Thom Tillis said, "We have a budget that restores all K-12 education funding for teachers and teachers assistants.  The minute this budget gets signed, those Read More

"Pink Slip Truth Tour" Travels the State to Show that Politiciansʼ Promises to "Protect the Classroom" Do Not Add Up - Calls on Lawmakers to Enroll in Remedial Math RALEIGH -- Progress North Carolina, a new issues advocacy non-profit, today called on leaders of the N.C. General Assembly to admit responsibility for gutting our childrenʼs schools as their new budget slashes thousands of working teachers, TAʼs, and classroom positions. To show the damage to our schools, Progress NC today began a "Pink Slip Truth Tour" which is traveling the state with laid off educators. The "Pink Slip Truth Tour" spotlights the huge gap between the Read More