Mayor Joines Calls On Gov McCrory to Restore Education Cuts

By Chad Nance

Following Wednesday’s passage of a state budget which includes draconian cuts to education funding (cuts that some say set North Carolina’s public education system back decades) Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines is calling on the Governor to restore the funding cuts.

According to a press release from the Mayor’s office, Mayor Joines believes that the budget that has been sent to the governor moves North Carolina in the wrong direction by increasing student/teacher ratios, cutting class room resources and failing to provide adequate funding to attract and retain teachers that are among the best in the nation.

• Specifically Mayor Joines urged Governor McCroy to:
•  Unfreeze teacher salaries
• Restore lower student/teacher ratios Continue to provide financial recognition to teachers who have attained advanced degrees
• Restore funding for classroom resources including teacher aids and technology

“While funding of education is a state and county responsibility, the quality of our schools directly impacts our city’s future,” Joines says. “Quality education is an essential component to economic prosperity and the ability to attract and keep good jobs in our community.”

Mayor Joines went on to point out that these cuts will have immeadiate effect in the classroom and in teacher recuritment and retention. “North Carolina teacher average salaries are 46 out of the country’s 50 states,” he says. “How can we attract and keep the best teachers if we don’t compensate them competitively with other states and provide the resources they need to excel in the classroom. We have to do better for our children and the future of our city and state.”