Perspective | Gov. Josh Stein on education in his inaugural address
Editor’s Note: Gov. Josh Stein presented these excerpted remarks on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. You can see the full address here.
On what it means to be North Carolina strong
North Carolina strong means economic opportunity for everyone because where you come from should never limit how far you can go. That’s the promise of North Carolina. Every North Carolinian should have a fair shot of prosperity to start a small business or get a good paying job everywhere in our state, including small town, North Carolina. So we must create more good paying jobs, cut taxes for working people, strengthen our workforce, and invest in broadband, roads and railroads, ports and airports to keep North Carolina moving.
On pre-K and education
North Carolina strong means opening the doors of opportunity to every child. There is no better investment in our future than providing excellent pre-K so that every child starts kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. We have to be smart about how we teach reading and how to utilize our most effective educators. But as long as North Carolina ranks 48th in the country in per-pupil investment, our public school students will be denied the sound basic education that our state constitution guarantees them. To recruit and retain the best, we must provide our public school teachers and staff real, pay raises.
On higher education
Our community colleges and universities are among the best in the nation. We must keep them that way and continue to innovate to meet students’ needs in a rapidly changing world, but we also must recognize that while college is right for many people, it’s not right for every person, and someone should not have to go to college to provide for his or her family. So we must expand career and technical education and apprenticeship programs.
On safety
North Carolina strong means keeping people safe. No one should worry when their kids are at school or at play or whether their loved ones are safe when they are at work or at worship.
On western North Carolina
We have so much more work to do, and I am committed to doing it arm in arm with our friends in Western North Carolina for as long as it takes.
On working together
North Carolina strong also means working together across our differences to get things done. And so to the members of the General Assembly, I say let’s work together…. When we work together, we are stronger, and there is no limit to what we can accomplish for the good of the people of this state.