Mayors across North Carolina back Gov. Perdue’s education plan

Mayors from across North Carolina have issued an open letter asking the people of North Carolina to support Gov. Perdue’s plan to reverse the cuts the Republican-controlled General Assembly imposed on schools.
The 53 mayors, from cities such as Wilmington and Durham to towns such as Bear Grass and Pilot Mountain, support the governor’s proposal to temporarily restore a fraction of a penny that the General Assembly let expire and to devote all of that revenue to education—a fraction of a penny for progress.
“The legislature’s budget has hurt education at all levels—from pre-k all the way through higher education—and has led to higher class sizes and the loss of teacher and teaching assistant positions right here in our local schools,” the mayors wrote. “With their budget forcing even more teacher layoffs next year, we must act to prevent these additional cuts.”
The mayors echoed the governor’s message that education is critical to our children’s future and to the economic future of the state.
“Investing in education is central to our ability to attract new jobs and businesses to our state,” the mayors wrote. “When companies talk about moving here or expanding, their first question is whether we have the educated, skilled workforce they need.”