MONCURE – Gov. Roy Cooper stopped by Moncure School on Wednesday, Sept. 7, to drop off school supplies through the Governor’s School Supply Drive Donations.
Cooper visited several classrooms, receiving questions from curious students about his job and family. He thanked the teachers for their dedication before making remarks in the school’s media resource room to a group of educators, school board members and the media.
He was accompanied by Superintendent Anthony Jackson, State Rep. Robert Reives and State Sen. Natalie Murdock.
When asked by a student what his favorite subject in school was, the governor replied, “English. My mom was the best English teacher in the state, in my opinion.”
Superintendent Jackson said a few words, praising the school board and educators, before introducing Cooper, stating, “We have an amazing school board and a group of educators, we have high student achievement, safe orderly schools and an efficient and well-run district. We are proud of our district, our students, and our staff."
Cooper took time to praise the students and educators of Moncure Elementary School and was critical of the legislature not passing a budget.
“The students, faculty and staff at Moncure are a clear example of how important strong public schools are to the growth of our state,” Governor Cooper said. “It’s past time for the legislature to pass a budget that makes meaningful investments in public education and gives educators overdue raises.”
The governor also mentioned that tax breaks for corporations are not what North Carolina needs as part of the reason the budget can’t be settled and urged the legislature to finalize the budget as soon as possible.
He also mentioned the shortfalls he says are currently plaguing North Carolina public schools, noting that the state was short about 5,000 teachers and the need to hire and retain more bus drivers.
When asked why a $1,000,000 grant to train bus drivers was being handled through the Department of Transportation and not having that money allocated directly to the school systems, he pushed the need for training but did not explain why the money was being used through the NCDOT, noting, “Parents are concerned about getting their children to school on time, and safely, and we know we need more bus drivers. This million dollars will go to hire – some whom have retired who will come back to help and train bus drivers, and this is an infusion to get things going to get more bus drivers on the road.”
The event concluded with a buffet before the governor left to head back to Raleigh.