RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – As lawmakers prepare to come back to Raleigh this month for the even-year short session, education funding is a key issue they’re expected to tackle.
Gov. Roy Cooper (D) spoke this week about some of the requests he’ll make to the Republican-controlled General Assembly as the legislature makes adjustments to the two-year budget enacted last fall.
The legislature passed the budget last fall, which Cooper allowed to go into law without his signature.
“You’re going to see a strong education budget from me: investments in our students and teachers and principals,” Cooper said.
The governor also has called on the legislature to fully fund the Leandro plan as the state Supreme Court, which has a Republican majority, reconsiders a decision to require the state to release the money to pay for the plan.
As Republican lawmakers discuss putting more money into the state’s school voucher program known as the Opportunity Scholarship, Cooper said he’ll reiterate his call for a moratorium. The vouchers provide taxpayer money to families to help pay for private schools.
Republicans voted last year to make every family eligible for the program regardless of income and even if their children already attend private school.
“That’s the wrong way to go, particularly when they are so unaccountable and when a lot of people who are applying for these vouchers already have their kids in private schools, already can afford it,” he said. “When you look at the money they put in vouchers, we could give teachers a 2.6 percent raise. We could double the number of pre-K slots.”
House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) recently told CBS 17 that talks are underway about adding funding to the Opportunity Scholarship program.
Applications surged this year to about 72,000. Families are grouped into four tiers based on income, with Tier 1 being those at the low end of the scale.
The NC State Education Assistance Authority said last week it sent notice to 13,511 students in Tier 1 that they’ve been offered an award. Some Tier 2 families will also be offered money, but it won’t be clear how many until Tier 1 families either accept or reject their award. There is not enough money to give awards to families in Tiers 3 and 4.
The awards range from $3,360 to $7,468 per child.
There’s about $293 million available for the program for the upcoming school year. Speaker Moore did not say how much more lawmakers are discussing adding to the program.
“I do want to see us to provide more funding there. We need to keep that promise. At the same time, we need to make sure we adequately fund our traditional public schools,” he said. “As we approach this budget, as we approach this issue, it’s not gonna be do something at the expense of others. It’s gonna be kind of raise all ships if you will.”
Moore said lawmakers will also consider additional raises for state employees and teachers. As the budget stands now, they’re receiving raises of about 7 percent on average over two years.
A new report released Wednesday by the Dept. of Public Instruction showed a significant increase in the attrition rate of teachers.
From March of 2022 to March of 2023, 10,373 of them left their jobs. That was up from 7,280 the year prior.
The state made 11,023 new hires. Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt (R) said the report shows the need for additional support for beginning teachers.
Cooper had called for 18 percent raises on average for teachers over two years in the budget he presented in March 2023.
Moore said lawmakers will reassess the raises already slated to go into effect, but it’s unclear whether they will change or by how much. A House Committee recently recommended the legislature make changes to teacher pay and school performance grades.
