<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1EITDd_1H400kiY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1EITDd_1H400kiY00" width="3840" height="568" >Leadership in Raleigh will look a bit different when those elected to the General Assembly this year are sworn in January. After years of Republicans controlling both the state senate and the state house, the Democrats will now be the majority in the house. As for the senate, the Republicans still hold a majority, but a much closer one than they had before.But this column isn’t really about the election results. It’s a request about something I hope our leaders prioritize as they get to work next year: public education. When the annual school report cards came out in September, the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) announced that the state’s four-year cohort graduation rate rose to 89 percent, marking a new high for North Carolina. And according to NCDPI, students across the state made progress in a number of academic areas. Here locally, our school districts in Hertford, Northampton, Bertie, and Gates counties saw some success, but it was tempered by some less-than-stellar results as well. But, in my opinion, these grades are only a snapshot in time – based mainly on test results – which doesn’t fully capture student success. Our public schools here aren’t as terrible as some would like to make them out to be, but there is definitely room to grow as well. But how do we get these schools to improve? The answer requires a multifaceted solution, and the legislature will have to take the lead on many of them. Teacher pay is one component often discussed in regards to school improvement in North Carolina. Talented teachers are often lost because they choose to move elsewhere with better salary opportunities instead of staying here and just scraping by. When I attending the NC Rural Center’s listening session back in October, one discussion that caught my attention was the need for more teaching housing options as well. In more rural counties like ours, it can be difficult for a teacher to relocate to the area if they can’t find somewhere to live. Luckily, there are already some teacher housing developments in Hertford and Bertie counties. But I can see how more in the Roanoke-Chowan area could definitely be beneficial for our local districts. The need for good facilities is also a factor. It can be difficult for students to learn when the school’s HVAC system frequently breaks down or the classrooms are too small or a building simply reaches the end of its life, despite efforts to prolong its use. I’m glad that all four of our local districts have been able to utilize funds from the state’s Needs-Based Public Capital Fund over the past few years. Those dollars come from the NC Education Lottery. A few examples of how these funds were used locally: Northampton County will soon have a new centrally-located high school. Bertie County just opened a new wing in their high school for CTE classes. Hertford County was able to replace their old Ahoskie Elementary School building with a new one a few years ago. And Gates County has been able to make several renovations in their district thanks to these funds as well. But according to a recent article from WUNC, school facility needs across the state continue to skyrocket. The estimate recently presented to the state Board of Education totaled nearly $18 billion in needed construction and renovation. Many of those projects are for deferred maintenance. That number is $5 billion more than it was five years ago. Small, rural counties already struggle to meet the costs of facility needs by having smaller tax bases than urban areas, so state and federal support will be more important than ever if costs continue to rise like this in the future. More funding for districts can definitely play a part in fixing the problems with teachers and facilities and other issues public schools face.One way our leaders can help is to start with an overhaul of the private school voucher program. In recent years, the legislature funneled an extremely large amount of money to that program and removed the income cap on who was allowed to receive funds. So even the richest families in the state could use the vouchers instead of paying private school tuition out of pocket. Shouldn’t taxpayer dollars be used to support our public schools instead? I think the income cap on the vouchers should be reinstated at the very least. Our legislature should also try to find other funding sources that can bolster our public school system. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but getting a good solid education is fundamental. We struggle less in life when we are able to learn the skills and tools we need to navigate the world. We can all benefit from developing critical thinking skills, gathering knowledge, and applying what we’ve learned to whatever situations come our way. The current generation and the ones who come afterwards deserve that too. So to our elected representatives in the state house – Rodney Pierce (Northampton), Sam Davis (Hertford, Gates), Patricia Smith (Bertie) – and our representative in the state senate – Jerry Tillett – I urge you all to focus on education as a priority in the new legislative session next year. And to our elected federal representatives – Don Davis, Roy Cooper, and Ted Budd – please advocate in Washington, DC for our students as well. Instead of the continual erosion of North Carolina’s public school system, I hope our leaders work together to help build it back up. Holly Taylor is a staff writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or by phone at 252-332-7206.</div></body>

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Leadership in Raleigh will look a bit different when those elected to the General Assembly this year are sworn in January. After years of Republicans controlling both the state senate and the state house, the Democrats will now be the majority in the house. As for the senate, the Republicans still hold a majority, but a much closer one than they had before.

It’s time to focus on fixing education problems

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Leadership in Raleigh will look a bit different when those elected to the General Assembly this year are sworn in January. After years of Republicans contr

It’s time to focus on fixing education problems

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