Gov. Cooper pushes for more tutors during Winston-Salem stop at Moore Magnet Elementary

Governor Roy Cooper visited a Winston-Salem elementary school in a recruiting pitch for tutors.

Gov. Cooper listened in as Elizabeth Carroll lead three second graders in a reading lesson at Moore Magnet Elementary School. The retired teacher is one of the tutors in the North Carolina Education Corps. 

Fewer than a quarter of the state's counties are taking part in the program. Cooper hopes to take it statewide. But to do that he says it will take more resources, including more paid tutors like Carroll.

“One of the reasons I'm here is to encourage people to apply,” he says. “Secondly, you've got to have the funding to make sure that you've got people in the system who are being paid and doing this job and helping out. And I think you first want to analyze what you're doing to make sure that it's working.”

The public-private corps started in September 2020 to help students get back to grade level after learning losses during the pandemic. The program is expected to expand to 30 districts next year.