Governor highlights teacher raises, school supply stipend on Teacher Appreciation Day
On Teacher Appreciation Day, Gov. Roy Cooper told teachers at Combs Elementary School in Raleigh that public education is one of his top priorities.
Raising teacher salaries and school budget for classroom supplies are important measures in his proposed budget, Cooper said.
“I wish I could thank every teacher all over North Carolina personally, but what we’ll do is try to get a good budget to show them how much we appreciate them,” Cooper said. “I think North Carolinians want to invest in public education. They know how important it is, so we’ve got our work cut out for us as we enter into the budget negotiations.”
Under Cooper’s proposed budget, public school teachers would receive 10 percent raises on average over two years, along with $150 stipends to purchase classroom supplies.
During the 2015-16 school year, the average teacher salary in the Wake County school system was $50,803, according to the school system’s annual financial report.
Cooper’s appearance Tuesday was prompted by a letter his office received from Sarah Edgar, a first-grade student at Combs who invited him to visit the school. Sarah, 7, included a picture of a rainforest and said she was “in shock” when her teachers told her Cooper was coming.
“It was like seeing a dream,” Sarah said. “I have never seen him in person.”
During Cooper’s visit, Sarah helped show him around the school, while he visited classrooms to thank teachers and meet other students. The school’s basketball team also performed for him.
“We’ve got to invest in education all the way from early childhood through our great community colleges and universities,” Cooper said. “I’m here today to see the fruits of good teachers at this school and hope that we can continue to work to make public education as good as it can be in North Carolina”
Madison Iszler: 919-836-4952; miszler@newsobserver.com
This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Governor highlights teacher raises, school supply stipend on Teacher Appreciation Day."