Alexandra Forter Sirota
Posts by Alexandra Forter Sirota
Presidential Actions Threaten Federal Education Funding—What’s at Stake for Kids
President Trump signed into law last week an Executive Order on closing the Department of Education that furthers his end goal: gutting our country’s public education system. This comes after putting the department under the leadership of Secretary Linda McMahon, an ardent advocate for expanding private school vouchers with next-to-no experience in public education. …
With Governor’s Recommended Budget, NC Could Choose Tax Cuts for Working Families Over Enriching Corporations and the Wealthy Few
Note: We updated this blog on March 31, 2025 after receiving updated estimates for the average tax change by income group from scheduled cuts to the personal and corporate income taxes from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. On Wednesday, Governor Stein released his recommended budget for the next two fiscal years, FY 2025-2026…
Fact Sheet: Federal budget plans shift costs to North Carolina, harm to NC Families
No matter who we voted for, North Carolinians want an economy that works for us all, ensuring people with modest and middle incomes should be able to afford essentials like food, housing, and health care. However, federal budget proposals by Congressional leaders and President Trump threaten to cut health care, food assistance, and other vital…
2024 Annual Impact Report
Download a PDF of this report Connecting with Communities to Shape Policy Priorities for NC An election year brings both opportunities and challenges for a non-partisan nonprofit organization that is hyper-focused on advancing public policies that improve people’s lives. The opportunity is to engage people who are hearing more about the promises of what policy can…
SB 382 offers disaster relief in name only, fails to provide direct support to Western NC
Legislative leaders should hear loud and clear that North Carolinians expect our state’s policies to build stronger connections to economic opportunity, help people when they face hardship, and ensure that climate disasters don’t derail progress for us all. As the legislative session comes to an end this week, however, lawmakers’ focus was on an override…
Fact Sheet: NC needs a full and inclusive recovery for Western NC post-Helene
Recovery and rebuilding from Hurricane Helene in Western NC requires a bold public response that ensures everybody gets the help that they need and that the public capacity to support resiliency and well-being in every community is there for the long-term. To ensure that rebuilding can be sustained, NC policymakers must pause the state income…
New data show the folly in policymakers anti-immigrant approach
Most North Carolinians want to live in a state where the economy delivers good jobs and good wages and where every person — regardless of race or birthplace — has a chance to thrive. New research released this month from the Immigration Research Initiative provides more evidence of the critical contributions of immigrants to North…
NC needs a bold response from lawmakers to Hurricane Helene disaster
As we begin to understand the scale of Hurricane Helene’s damage to communities across our state, it is clear that North Carolina’s policymakers must be ready to make bold decisions — ones that may shift some of their long-held positions — to fund fully and equitably the rebuilding from Hurricane Helene. We know how important…
As students return, NC leaders have failed to replace expiring federal education funds
The traditional calendar year for public schools across North Carolina begins this week. As students return to school, many school districts are faced with the double whammy of expiring federal funds and the failure of state legislators to pass a budget to adequately and equitably fund every child’s access to a sound, basic education. Public…
Critical American Rescue Plan funds deadline approaching for NC, local governments
Another key funding deadline is approaching that will matter for the progress we can make in advancing well-being across the state. By Dec. 31, 2024, the state of North Carolina and all local governments must obligate flexible federal funds made available through the American Rescue Plan. These State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) were…