Roy Cooper Proposes Free College, Doesn't Say How He'll Pay For It | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Raleigh, N.C.     McCrory campaign manager Russell Peck released the following statement in response to Roy Cooper's newly released education plan:

    "Any time a lawyer-politician promises you something for free, middle class families should hold on to their wallets! While Roy Cooper's proposal offers only Bernie Sanders-esque platitudes like "free college" with no plan to pay for it, Governor McCrory is working together with educational leaders to implement actual strategies to improve North Carolina schools and raise teacher pay... and it's working. The fact is that North Carolina's education system was neglected and fell behind under Roy Cooper and the Democrats, including in teacher pay, but under Governor McCrory, North Carolina is reversing that trend and helping students achieve."

    Background:

    Under the previous Democrat governors, state education spending was cut by about $1 billion between 2008-2011 (Department of Public Instruction)

    Fulfilling a campaign promise, Governor McCrory reconvened the Education Cabinet for the first time in nearly three years, bringing leaders of North Carolina's education system together to develop strategies to improve student achievement. (Press Release, "Governor McCrory Convenes Education Cabinet, Directs Group to Develop New Vision and Brand for North Carolina's Education System," Office of Governor McCrory, 4/17/2013)

    Under Governor McCrory's leadership, North Carolina gave teachers the largest teacher pay raise in the country. ("Rankings of the States 2014 and Estimates of School Statistics 2015, National Education Association," March 2015, p. 92; Blog: Dr. Terry Stoops, "NEA: NC ranks 42nd in teacher salary," John Locke Foundation, 3/18/2015)

    Governor McCrory worked with legislative leaders to raise teacher salaries and implement a higher career pay scale, bringing average teacher pay to $47,800 - higher than North Carolina's median household income. Since he took office, North Carolina has committed over $1 billion more for teacher pay through Governor McCrory's first term. (Office of State Budget & Management)

    Under Governor McCrory's leadership, North Carolina is #9 in state level funding of education, spending 60% of the total state budget on education. (Blog: Dr. Terry Stoops, "NEA: NC ranks 42nd in teacher salary," John Locke Foundation, 3/18/2015)

    Governor McCrory has increased funding for public schools by hundreds of millions of dollars each year he has been in office. Overall, K-12 funding has increased by 12% between 2012-13 to 2015-16. (Office of State Budget and Management)

    Under Governor McCrory, North Carolina spends a higher percentage of tax revenues on higher education than any other state. (SREB Fact Book on Higher Education December 2014)

    Governor McCrory increased state spending per pupil on education. (Blog: Dr. Terry Stoops, "DPI examines state funding trends," The Locker Room, 9/29/2015; Blog: Dr. Terry Stoops, <i>"Updated DPI chart shows larger per student increase than first thought," The Locker Room, 10/20/2015)

    Governor McCrory: Promoting Student Achievement And Making Sure Students Are College Or Career Ready

    Thanks to the hard work of teachers and students, North Carolina's High School graduation rate is at an all time high, reaching 85.4%. (Press Release, "High School Graduation Rate Highest in State History," North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 9/2/2015)

    The first bill Governor McCrory signed into law established two paths to a high school diploma. Now, when high school students get their diploma, it's going to be marked at the bottom with either one or two things, vocational, career ready, or both. ("Increase Access To Career/Technical Ed." Senate Bill 14 / S.L. 2013-1, North Carolina General Assembly; SB14 signed by Governor McCrory 2/18/2013)

    Governor McCrory funded the "Read to Achieve" program, ending the practice of socially promoting students who are unable to read at or above grade level after the third grade. As a result, fourth grade test scores jumped in 2015. ("Read to Achieve," Department of Public Instruction, accessed 8/30/2015; Lynn Bonner, T. Keung Hui, and David Raynor, "State test scores static, student growth slips," The Raleigh News & Observer, 9/2/2015)

    Governor McCrory signed "Opportunity Scholarships" into law to expand educational opportunities for low-income students struggling to receive needed resources receive up to $4,200 to attend a private school. Over $40 million of funding over the 2015-17 biennium will provide new opportunities to thousands of students and families. ("Appropriations Act of 2013," Senate Bill 402, North Carolina General Assembly; "2015 Appropriations Act," House Bill 97, North Carolina General Assembly)


    Contact: The Pat McCrory Committee
         press@patmccrory.com