Cooper comes to Alamance to tout schools

Led by Principal Kristy Mills, Cooper was shown the work going on in a biology classroom, a mechanics class and in a horticulture class in a large greenhouse maintained by students.

Paicey Cameron, a member of SAHS’s Future Farmers of America chapter and FFA national champion in horticulture, said it was a great experience.

“This is awesome. I never thought I’d get the chance to meet the governor and talk to him. This is a great opportunity for us to show off our hard work, and for people to see all of the amazing opportunities here at Southern,” she said.

Southern’s FFA chapter is one of the largest in the state and won two national competitions last year, just the third school-based FFA chapter to accomplish that feat.

In his public remarks, Cooper again called for fully funding K-12 education as well as meaningful investments in early childhood education and teacher pay in the upcoming legislative session. He also called for a stop to state spending on vouchers for private schools until North Carolina’s public schools are fully funded.

“We’ve been first in business in the country for two years in a row. But we can’t continue to be first in business, if we become last in education,” Cooper said.

He pointed out that in the budget enacted by the legislature last year expanded the private school voucher program by $250 million over two years, for a total of $4 billion over the next 10 years. Cooper and other critics say that by providing vouchers to more families, now without regard to income levels, the program will divert more children out of public schools. Schools receive state money based on enrollment, so that diverts more money out of public schools.

“Under the expanded voucher program, public schools in Alamance County could lose nearly $4.5 million in state education funding just in the first year of the expanded program,” Cooper said. “That loss in funding not only impacts students but also Alamance County’s workforce.”