South Raleigh News

As Governor Cooper continues the “Year of Public Schools,” school boards from at least 10 school districts are calling on the General Assembly to make meaningful investments in teacher pay and fully fund public schools instead of further expanding the state’s taxpayer-funded private school voucher scheme.

“Our public schools are home to hardworking teachers and students who deserve to be supported,” said Governor Cooper. “The General Assembly continues to prioritize private school vouchers for the wealthy instead of helping the millions of students who attend our public schools each day.”

A growing number of school boards from across North Carolina have passed resolutions, including:

- Bladen County Schools

- Buncombe County Schools

- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

- Gates County Schools

- Jackson County Schools

- Roanoke Rapids Graded School District

- Wayne County Schools

- Wilson County Schools

In addition, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education and the Chatham County Schools Board of Education sent letters to legislative leaders urging the General Assembly to implement an immediate 5% salary increase for teachers and to focus on “substantially increasing teacher compensation” in the next legislative session.

These new calls for prioritizing funding for public schools are in addition to bipartisan calls last year from education leaders in more than 35 school districts for the General Assembly to invest in public schools and stop unaccountable voucher expansion.

Republican legislators continue to push policies that some argue undermine and underfund public schools. The General Assembly is neglecting North Carolina’s public schools, where more than 8 in 10 school-aged children learn each day. Instead of funneling hundreds of millions more taxpayer dollars toward vouchers for private schools, critics argue that the legislature must fully fund public education so that educators and students have necessary resources.

In April, Governor Cooper released his recommended budget for FY 2024-2025, "Securing North Carolina’s Future," which would invest over $1 billion in North Carolina’s public schools, raise teacher pay by 8.5%, and provide a $1,500 retention bonus for teachers across the board.

Governor Cooper declared 2024 as the Year of Public Schools and has been visiting public schools and early childhood education programs across the state calling for investments in K-12 education, early childhood education, and teacher pay.