This month, Aaron welcomes Carolina K-12 director Cori Greer-Banks and former public defender James Williams to discuss an upcoming all-day forum on North Carolina’s public schools. It’s called “Education for All? The Past, Present, and Possibility of NC Schools” – a free public forum Saturday, September 26, from 9:30 to 4:30 at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

The occasion is not a positive one: 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the so-called “Pearsall Plan,” which was North Carolina’s plan to resist the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling and slow-walk the process of desegregating public schools. But while North Carolina’s racial history is spotty at best, the state also has a long history of support for its public schools – so much so that a right to education is enshrined in the state’s constitution, making it unique in the U.S. On the other hand, North Carolina’s support for public education has slipped in recent decades, despite the State Supreme Court repeatedly ordering lawmakers to step up. So: where do things stand now? And where might we head in the future?

Click here for more on Saturday’s event.

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck chats with government officials, UNC scholars, business and nonprofit leaders, area musicians, and others in our community as they share their thoughts, their experience, and their expertise on the central issues of today. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s conversations – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” at 7:30 a.m. on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.

Every month, Aaron welcomes UNC’s Carolina Public Humanities to the studio for a regular feature called “Oh, the Humanities!” spotlighting humanities work and upcoming events on campus. Click here to listen back to all of those discussions.

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