GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Governor Roy Cooper is outlining his priorities for the upcoming year in his latest budget proposal.
The proposal includes an 8.5% raise for teachers. It also includes $200 million in grants for childcare centers.
Cooper said nearly one-third of childcare centers across the state are at risk of closing. Some people who would be impacted by this budget said they are cautiously optimistic it could be passed.
“I don’t think that eight and a half percent is like a treat, I think that eight and a half percent is just bare minimum of what we should be receiving,” said Mary Kathryn Hurst, a teacher at South Central High School and secretary of the Pitt County Association of Educators.
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“It is painful to watch people who are brightest and best at what they do walk out the door because they can’t pay bills. It is difficult to watch. People have to get a second and a third job.”