Senator Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore of the NC General Assembly was in Kinston at North Carolina’s Eastern Region on Tuesday, May 15th to discuss his education reform bill. The Excellent Public Schools Act strives to improve student literacy, raise graduation rates, increase accountability in the classroom, reward effective teachers and give parents the tools to make more informed decisions about their children’s education.
Senator Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore of the NC General Assembly was in Kinston at North Carolina’s Eastern Region on Tuesday, May 15th to discuss his education reform bill. The Excellent Public Schools Act strives to improve student literacy, raise graduation rates, increase accountability in the classroom, reward effective teachers and give parents the tools to make more informed decisions about their children’s education.
Berger spoke to a group of Chamber of Commerce Executives from across the 13 county territory of North Carolina’s Eastern Region. Also in attendance were Senators Harry Brown, Buck Newton and Bill Rabon. Introducing Senator Berger was Mr. Lewis Ebert, President & CEO of the North Carolina Chamber.
The Excellent Public Schools Act is expected to be a topic of discussion during the General Assembly’s short session, which began on Tuesday. Supporters of the Act are seeking to reform the public education system by improving literacy and ending social promotion, improving school performance and accountability, providing calendar flexibility, providing state employee literacy volunteer leave time and developing and retaining high-quality teachers.
“Where we are is not where we need to be,” said Berger, “Where we are is in a place that’s failing our kids.” The Act, which was first introduced to the Senate last month, has sparked much conversation in recent weeks. “What this bill is trying to get at, is making sure we’ve done everything we can to make sure a child is able to read by the time they finish third grade.” Even if the Act is not passed by the General Assembly, Senator Berger is confident it will serve as a spark to promote education transformation. Senator Berger went on to add, “We will have moved the needle more than the needle has been moved in North Carolina.”