Gov. Perdue and her cabinet secretaries will spend the next seven days showing how “Education Works” – visiting classrooms in public schools and community colleges around the state and talking to teachers, students and local leaders about the importance of education in our economic recovery.
The new focus follows the governor’s Jobs Tour of April, during which she announced 4,700 new and retained jobs and a quarter billion dollars in new investment from businesses. It also comes on the heels of a state budget from the House of Representatives that proposed the largest mass layoff of education personnel in state history.
“We celebrate our teachers because they are the men and women responsible for preparing our children in a competitive global economy – for ensuring that North Carolina’s workers remain competitive, sharp, innovative and smart,” said Gov. Perdue. “I’m travelling the state to keep fighting for our educators and our education system at every level. The foundation we build for our future is too important to abandon.”
On Thursday, Gov. Perdue kicked off the tour with a visit to Belville Elementary School in Leland.
Gov. Perdue recently visited students at Wake Technical Community College where she heard from them about how the governor’s “12 in 6” program helped put them on a fast track to employment or better careers. Through the program, community colleges across the state have identified 12 careers in which students can receive training in six months or less.