Press release from Mountain Allies for Public Schools:
Public education matters to the entire community-whether or not we have children or grandchildren in the public schools. Despite tremendous pressures, public schools in North Carolina have worked hard to maintain quality education. However, the current trends are threatening public schools in our state.
Since 2008, North Carolina has lost 7,000 teaching assistant positions and 5,400 pre-K spaces. Private vouchers have increased by 129%. One of the most concerning trends is the 30% decrease in enrollment in teacher education programs in the UNC system since 2010. North Carolina’s per pupil spending is one of the lowest in the country and we’re 42nd in teacher pay.
A panel of experts will address these trends and the current state of education in North Carolina. Panelists include Dr. Gordon Grant, Principal of Hall Fletcher Elementary School, Dr. Dale Carpenter, Dean of Western Carolina University’s College of Education and Allied Professions, and Kate Pett, Executive Director of Asheville City Schools Foundation.
The event will be moderated by David Feingold, General Manager of WCQS and will be held at the Reuter Center on the UNC Asheville Campus at 1 Campus View Road at 4:30PM on Thursday, April 28th. The event is free and open to the public.
This event is sponsored by Mountain Allies for Public Schools. For more information, contact Karen Depew at depewkaren@yahoo.com.
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