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Education “leaders” in the North Carolina General Assembly, the political body responsible for ensuring that voters and their families have the opportunity for quality education, apparently have decided we no longer need it.

Public education, as we have known it for generations, is under assault at the national and state levels. This week, more evidence appeared on the Legislature’s agenda with the introduction of a bill that would make it possible for even an unlicensed person like me to be a school teacher.

Scary thought, right?

If you pay attention to public education in our state, you know it has become more difficult each year for administrators to find and hire qualified school teachers. Why? It’s simple arithmetic. Teacher pay has fallen far behind in our state, so those who attend college to become teachers find higher-paying jobs in other states.

So what should we do to keep them here to teach our kids? Pay them more.

But the “education leaders” in the General Assembly don’t see any merit in providing teachers a salary that is competitive with other states. This week, state House Republican leaders filed a bill allowing school districts to hire unlicensed teachers. And while they were at it, they said, “Oh, by the way, let’s also eliminate class size requirements.”

In other words, if one of our teachers quits, maybe we’ll just let the other teachers take on their work. What could go wrong if it’s standing room only in a classroom?

In keeping with what has become a political “opposite speak” strategy of giving legislation a name that is actually the polar opposite of what it really will be, they have named this one “Public School Operational Relief.”

Don’t laugh. Over the next 10 years, with this type of legislation and the school voucher system that’s already being implemented to benefit the “haves” at the expense of the “have nots” through the creation of charter schools, our small community schools will decline even more rapidly than they have been.

Anyone who thinks the licensing requirements for teachers to be certified is just the government trying to tell us what to do is being fooled.

These standards ensure public schools maintain high standards of instruction across all subject areas. Certified teachers provide superior education outcomes. Getting certification involves rigorous training that goes beyond earning a bachelor’s degree. Many teachers go beyond the current minimum education requirements and obtain a master’s degree that includes special coursework in classroom management, child development, and instructional strategies.

Educating our children so that they become contributing members of our community isn’t a business and shouldn’t be treated like it is. It is a service for which we pay taxes.

If you only care about lowering taxes, or you favor lowering the quality of local education and turning our schools into charter schools where little or no accountability exists, sit back on your haunches and let it happen. If you believe our schools should provide a level of education that rises instead of falls, speak up. Quickly.

Larry McDermott is a local retired farmer/journalist. Reach him at hardscrabblehollow@gmail.com