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Cooper Directs $95 Million To Support Students During Pandemic

Gov. Roy Cooper during an appearance on March 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Governor Roy Cooper is directing over $95 million to help support North Carolina students affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The new funding will benefit both K-12 and postsecondary students who have been most impacted by the pandemic. The money comes from North Carolina's share of an education relief fund that is part of the federal CARES act.

According to a press release, about $40 million will go to the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction to hire more public school nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists.

Another $20 million will be directed to support the academic needs of at-risk students and those with disabilities.

The state community college system will receive funding for tuition assistance, while UNC System support will help provide emergency assistance for students needing to complete their degrees.

Many state education leaders have expressed support for the governor's allocation of the CARES funding.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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