NC governor candidates: teacher pay, school spending, pre-K, public education

News & Observer

As part of an assessment of how the state is doing heading into a critical election Nov. 8, The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer asked the candidates for governor about their plans for education. Here are answers from Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and his challengers, Democrat Roy Cooper and Libertarian Lon Cecil.

Q: North Carolina per-pupil spending lags well behind the national average and behind its neighbors. Should North Carolina spend more in its public school classrooms, and where should it find the money?

Cecil: NC clearly needs more spending in the classroom and teaching positions. This will have to be achieved by reducing the overhead of non-teaching “administrators” and assuring that additional funding be insulated from any new administrative skimming.

Madison spends more than most, $18k/student.