Gov. Roy Cooper visited Ben L. Smith High School in Greensboro Tuesday afternoon in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week.
The school band, dancers and cheerleaders greeted Cooper with a performance when he arrived. The visit is part of an education tour through the state, celebrating what he declared “The Year of Public Schools.”
Cooper took a tour of the high school, popping into manufacturing and engineering classrooms to see the work in action.
“I got to see that Smith High School, along with a lot of other public schools, are across the state preparing for student success in STEM careers, because those are going to be the jobs not only of the day, but the jobs of tomorrow as well," Cooper said.
He also spoke out against recent efforts by Republican lawmakers to expand private school vouchers to the tune of more than half a billion dollars. He proposed using that money in other ways.
“We could provide a full 8.5% pay raise for every public school teacher in North Carolina," Cooper said. "Plus, give them a $1,500 retention bonus.”
He also mentioned hiring more teacher assistants, nurses, and counselors, and funding Pre-K and other early child care programs in the state.
At the end of his visit, Cooper signed a statewide proclamation declaring May 6-10 as Teacher Appreciation Week in North Carolina.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.