Governor Cooper proclaims February 21 - 25, 2022 as Public Schools Week

RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed February 21 - 25, 2022 as Public Schools Week to show support for public schools and the educators, counselors, custodians, bus drivers, school nutrition workers, administrators and other school staff who provide important learning experiences for students.

“Public schools play a critical role in the success of children and families,” said Governor Cooper. “Now more than ever we need to refocus our efforts to make sure our schools and our children improve their performance while we support our educators.”

Public Schools Week celebrates the opportunities that public schools provide to all children and the work that teachers do to prepare students for the future. The pandemic has placed extreme stress on North Carolina’s public schools, children, and families but educators and other school staff have worked tirelessly to keep students in the classroom and continue their learning. 

Governor Cooper is focused on ensuring that teachers are well-prepared, well-supported and well-compensated. In 2017, the Governor established the Commission on Access to a Sound Basic Education to help advise North Carolina’s work to ensure the state meets its constitutional obligation of ensuring every child has access to a sound basic education. The state submitted a Comprehensive Remedial Plan to the court in March 2021. The Governor has committed to pursuing the policy and programmatic changes outlined in the plan and providing the resources necessary to achieve the actions in the plan.

In December 2019, the Governor established the DRIVE Task Force, which focuses on ensuring a more diverse educator workforce to improve student success across the board and increase the number of qualified teachers in North Carolina. The Task Force released its report and recommendations in January 2021.

In August 2020, Governor Cooper directed $60 million of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, a part of the federal CARES Act, to help support the academic and physical and mental health needs of K-12 students most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the Proclamation.