Governor Roy Cooper visited Haw River Elementary School today to further encourage families to reach out to their legislators to advocate for proper funding for public education, increase teacher pay, and more funding for Pre-K programs.
Haw River Elementary, a Title I school, currently has six Pre-K classrooms, the largest number in Alamance-Burlington Schools.
“Instead of handing huge tax breaks to the wealthy and major corporations, the legislature should invest in early learners and child care to set students on the path to success, allow parents to go to work, and help businesses find and keep employees,” Cooper said.
To ensure North Carolina’s early childhood care and education system can serve as many students as possible, Governor Cooper has proposed $1.5 billion in new funding to support childcare and early childhood education needs across the state. As part of that investment, the Governor’s budget includes:
$500 million for childcare stabilization grants to help maintain access to affordable early childhood education
$200 million to increase childcare subsidy rates in rural and lower-wealth communities
Nearly $200 million in recurring funding over the biennium for the NC Pre-K program
Governor Cooper also praised the Teacher Cadet partnership program between ABSS, Alamance Community College, and Elon University, which allows high school seniors to shadow experienced teachers and gain firsthand experience in the teaching profession. This program serves as a "grow our own" initiative within the District, aiming to nurture and develop future educators.
“As we open a new $67 million dollar high school this fall….we’re already faced with a teacher shortage,” said Dr. Dain Butler, ABSS Superintendent.
“We’re hoping these cadets will return as teachers in our schools in a few years. We want to thank our partners Alamance Community College and Elon University for helping us with this program,” he told the audience.
During a media conference held after the tour of classrooms with the Governor, ABSS Board members, and other elected officials, Butler told the media that Alamance-Burlington Schools is doing its part to prioritize teaching and learning in our classrooms.
“We recently cut more than $7 million from our Central Services budget to put more money into the people who are in front of our children each day. My Board just passed a one percent supplement increase for our teachers in an effort to remain competitive with our neighboring districts.”
Butler thanked Cooper for visiting and bringing statewide attention to Alamance-Burlington Schools.
“We appreciate the support of our state delegation, our Alamance County Commissioners, and my Board of Education for what you’re doing to help us remain Student-Centered and Future Focused!
