West Wake News

Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green has presented the legislative priorities and budget requests for North Carolina's public schools at the recent State Board of Education (SBE) meeting. The SBE has officially adopted these priorities, marking a significant collaboration between the two entities after several years.

Green emphasized the importance of education as a foundation for success, stating, “It is well known that education is the greatest equalizer of lifelong success,” and underscored the need for adequate funding to support this mission. The joint priorities align with Green's vision for Achieving Educational Excellence and include six key pillars: preparing students for their future, investing in public schools, valuing educators, enhancing community support, ensuring safe learning environments, and celebrating achievements in public education.

Key initiatives include additional support for Western North Carolina students affected by Hurricane Helene, increasing educator pay to lead in the southeast region, reforming principal pay structures, addressing school construction needs, and advocating for a pause on expanding the Opportunity Scholarship Program to redirect funds to public schools.

Eric Davis, SBE chairman, expressed his optimism about these initiatives being favorably received by the General Assembly. “On behalf of my colleagues on the NC State Board of Education, I’m delighted to submit joint legislative priorities with Superintendent Green," he said.

The budgetary requests are categorized into four areas: Student and School Support, Academic Support and Coaching, Technology advancements including cybersecurity improvements and device updates, and Compensation Pathways aimed at expanding teaching roles and salary supplements.

Additionally, policy changes are proposed to offer more flexibility in school calendars and eliminate certain testing requirements. These efforts were developed through discussions among Green, NCDPI leadership, SBE members, and other stakeholders. Further refinements will follow upon completing Green's listening tour.