Gov. Cooper to Visit Communities Across Western NC | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:


    Visits, Tours to Focus on Issues Including Public Education, Medicaid Expansion and Rural Economic Development

    BREVARD: Governor Roy Cooper will visit Western North Carolina on Thursday and Friday to discuss local issues. The governor will visit communities in Transylvania, Clay, Cherokee, Graham, Swain and Jackson counties.

    All events listed below will be open to credentialed press. Event details, including times and locations, will be included in forthcoming daily public schedules.

    On Thursday, April 11, Gov. Cooper will visit Brevard High School in Transylvania County to talk about support for public education in his latest budget proposal and the need for a strong bond to support school renovation and construction.

    Gov. Cooper's budget invests in better pay and respect for teachers and principals, including an average 9.1 percent pay raise for teachers over two years. His plan also includes investments to recruit, retain, and support quality teachers, offers more professional development opportunities, and expands the Teaching Fellows program.

    The governor's Invest NC bond plan would provide $2 billion for K-12 public schools statewide to help meet new construction and renovation needs, including at least $10 million for each county. Community colleges, University of North Carolina system campuses, and local water and sewer systems would also benefit. For a fact sheet on Invest NC and how each county would benefit, click HERE.

    On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Cooper and Mayor Harry Baughn will tour Hayesville in Clay County and discuss efforts to strengthen rural communities. Gov. Cooper will also be a guest on Mayor Baughn's radio show on Lake 97.7 WJUL.

    Later Thursday afternoon, Gov. Cooper will join stakeholders at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Murphy in Cherokee County for a roundtable discussion on Medicaid expansion.

    Expanding Medicaid in North Carolina would provide affordable health care for 500,000 people, create tens of thousands of jobs, assist rural hospitals in keeping their doors open, help fight the opioid epidemic and secure North Carolina's share of federal tax dollars that are currently paying to support Medicaid expansion in other states. For more information on Gov. Cooper's plan to expand Medicaid, click HERE. To learn how individual counties would benefit from Medicaid expansion, click HERE.

    On Friday, April 12, Gov. Cooper will join Mayor Steve Hooper and members of the Hometown Strong action team to tour the town of Robbinsville in Graham County and discuss efforts to strengthen rural communities.

    Later Friday morning, Gov. Cooper will tour Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City in Swain County to discuss small business development with local leaders.

    On Friday afternoon, Gov. Cooper will visit the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching in Cullowhee in Jackson County to discuss professional development and support for educators. Later, he will tour the Western Carolina University campus with faculty, students and administrators.

• Contact: Ford Porter
•     govpress@nc.gov