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Teacher raises, school construction & student safety funds blocked as Gov. Cooper holds budget hostage

The following is a press release from Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes


Governor Roy Cooper and Democrats continue to hold the entire $24 billion state budget hostage to force the expansion of government-run Medicaid in North Carolina. The Governor’s “Medicaid-or-nothing” strategy is causing real life consequences for students, teachers and schools as they prepare to start a new school year.

Rep. Jeffrey Elmore (R-Wilkes), the only active public school teacher in the General Assembly and the Co-chair of the House Education Committee, urged the Governor to put politics aside and stop holding the budget hostage:

“From billions in school construction and education funding to millions in teacher raises and classroom supplies, the Governor and Democrats are putting politics over public education. Furthermore, the Governor’s budget impasse will cause teacher pay freezes similar to 2009 when Democrats held control of the General Assembly.

“Pay uncertainty and flat funding shows no respect to our hardworking school employees and stakeholders as the start of the school year is almost here. It is simply unfair to use students, teachers and schools as bargaining chips in a partisan political game.”

Lawmakers have continued to call on the Governor to have a separate debate on Medicaid expansion – and not tie it together with something as important as the state’s budget. They point to the fact that the budget passed by the General Assembly already includes a special provision that allows the Governor to call the legislature back for a special session this fall to discuss health care and Medicaid expansion. 

Key Public Education Benefits and Resources Being Blocked

3.9% teacher pay raise over the biennium. 
$1.43 billion over two years in increased education funding.
$91 million in school safety measures.
$4.4 billion over the next 10 years for school construction.
$3 million to provide free school lunches for low-income students.
$15 million in new funding for classroom supplies.

Local School Construction Funds Being Blocked
 
 
Alamance-Burlington $18,428,823
Alexander County $12,411,156
Alleghany County $10,353,574
Anson County $11,884,154
Ashe County $10,775,162
Asheboro City $ 4,396,455
Asheville City $ 2,713,629
Avery County $10,511,929
Beaufort County $12,165,414
Bertie County $11,234,254
Bladen County $12,277,125
Brunswick County $13,315,336
Buncombe County $14,687,531
Burke County $15,756,422
Cabarrus County $17,220,503
Caldwell County $15,402,161
Camden County $10,666,626
Carteret County $12,158,044
Caswell County $11,332,269
Catawba County $11,116,803
Chapel Hill-Carrboro $ 9,532,195
Chatham County $12,337,946
Cherokee County $11,136,538
Clay County $10,335,402
Cleveland County $16,605,277
Clinton City $ 4,357,148
Columbus County $10,632,523
Craven County $14,384,993
Cumberland County $28,886,745
Currituck County $11,067,730
Dare County $11,381,585
Davidson County $14,998,456
Davie County $11,627,851
Duplin County $15,498,144
Durham County $18,587,527
Edenton/Chowan $10,729,020
Edgecombe County $13,427,241
Elkin City $1,616,987
Forsyth County $24,142,940
Franklin County $14,047,855
Gaston County $20,416,874
Gates County $10,913,914
Graham County $10,336,858
Granville County $14,143,141
Greene County $12,000,632
Guilford County $28,758,346
Halifax County $ 5,201,993
Harnett County $21,892,627
Haywood County $11,889,100 
Henderson County $13,511,592 
Hertford County $11,524,488 
Hickory City $2,861,982 
Hoke County $15,821,609 
Hyde County $10,156,538 
Iredell-Statesville $13,034,411 
Jackson County $10,974,793 
Johnston County $27,659,803
Jones County $10,399,503 
 
Kannapolis City $3,000,295 
Lee County $14,032,240 
Lenoir County $14,071,824 
Lexington City $ 2,423,631 
Lincoln County $13,071,054 
Macon County $11,156,512 
Madison County $10,666,773 
Martin County $11,558,269 
McDowell County $12,814,262
Mecklenburg County $48,448,911 
Mitchell County $10,546,702 
Montgomery County $11,488,434 
Moore County $13,314,557 
Mooresville City $ 3,829,900 
Mount Airy City $ 2,259,667 
Nash-Rocky Mount $16,943,741 
New Hanover County $16,843,283 
Newton-Conover $ 2,095,306 
Northampton County $10,865,984 
Onslow County $18,360,133 
Orange County $ 5,612,793 
Pamlico County $10,324,498 
Pasquotank County $12,451,049 
Pender County $13,872,281
Perquimans County $10,472,554
Person County $11,454,025
Pitt County $19,856,962
Polk County $10,546,975
Randolph County $15,742,900
Richmond County $14,202,934
Roanoke Rapids City $ 6,041,637
Robeson County $25,780,597 23
Rockingham County $15,686,829
Rowan-Salisbury $17,608,410
Rutherford County $14,040,176
Sampson County $11,949,305
Scotland County $13,570,841
Stanly County $13,731,951
Stokes County $12,719,108
Surry County $10,800,912 31
Swain County $10,615,809 32
Thomasville City $ 1,796,180 33
Transylvania County $10,895,356
Tyrrell County $10,313,374 35
Union County $20,751,542 36
Vance County $13,614,718 37
Wake County $52,215,430 38
Warren County $10,668,056 39
Washington County $10,703,586 40
Watauga County $11,217,518 41
Wayne County $19,103,192 42
Weldon City $ 1,891,823 43
Whiteville City $ 4,312,611 44
Wilkes County $14,016,757 45
Wilson County $14,881,132 46
Yadkin County $12,532,520 47
Yancey County $10,572,504

 

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