The Public School Forum of North Carolina will honor the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation at the 2023 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala tonight. This annual event which began in 2000 celebrates public education in our state and recognizes leaders/organizations who have made outstanding contributions to public education.

This year’s honoree, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, is a statewide, private, family foundation that has been a catalyst for positive change in North Carolina for more than 85 years.

Throughout the Foundation’s history, ZSR has supported some of North Carolina’s most important statewide initiatives in education, including:

• Support for the ongoing Leandro litigation for equitable early childhood and K-12 public school funding

• Numerous programs to bolster the recruitment and retention of teachers, particularly new teachers and teachers of color

• Start-up grants to help launch the Public School Forum of North Carolina and EdNC, among numerous other organizations

Today, ZSR supports efforts that build the public will to support, strengthen, and fund North Carolina’s public systems of education, as well as efforts to advance educational equity.

The award is named in honor of the late Dr. Jay Robinson, one of our state’s most distinguished education leaders and the first president of the Public School Forum. He was my superintendent growing up in Charlotte.

To all of you have been part of the work of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation — the grantees, the team, the board, the family — thank you for improving the quality of life for all North Carolinians.

A few other notes:

Today is the crossover deadline at the N.C. General Assembly.

Here is the agenda for the N.C. State Board of Education meeting.

May the force be with you today and all the days.

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