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North Carolina News You Can Use

Billy Ball Explains NC: Leandro and why NC schools still aren’t equal

By Billy Ball, Staff Reports

January 13, 2026

In the new Billy Ball Explains NC, we take on the Leandro case, a lawsuit over education equality that’s still unresolved 31 years after it was filed. There are more than a billion dollars at stake for public schools.

🤯 There’s more than a billion dollars at stake for North Carolina’s public schools.

In the latest Billy Ball Explains NC, we take a look at Leandro,v. State of NC, a 31-year-old civil rights case centering on one of the most poorly kept secrets in NC and in America: Kids in poor counties are getting a worse education than kids in rich counties. But there is a way out.

Billy Ball Explains NC premieres every Wednesday on YouTube. Make sure to like and subscribe to @cardinalandpine so you won’t miss an episode.

✏️ Billy Ball
📸 Melanie Duran

Authors

  • Billy Ball

    Billy Ball is Cardinal & Pine's senior newsletter editor. He’s covered local, state, and national politics, government, education, criminal justice, the environment, and immigration in North Carolina for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary have earned state, regional, and national awards. He's also the founder of The Living South, a journalism project about the most interesting people in the American South.

    Have a story tip? Reach Billy at [email protected]. For local reporting that connects the dots, from policy to people, sign up for Billy’s newsletter.

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