State Education Leaders Launch Fund For Teachers, Students Affected By Florence

A group of current and former education leaders announced a new effort Tuesday to help students and schools as they recover from Hurricane Florence.

It's called Florence Aid to Students and Teachers of North Carolina or FAST NC. Superintendent Mark Johnson joined former Superintendent June Atkinson and other school leaders to introduce the website aimed at collecting donations.

The group will work with district leaders, charter school directors, and state agencies to identify the need. A steering committee for Fast NC will make recommendations to the state board on how to distribute the money.

The amount they're trying to raise wasn't specified, but Johnson says there's a lot of work to do. He's been touring flooded areas in Eastern North Carolina and says the damage to schools alone is at least $30 million and rising.

The website will accept credit card donations and people can also give by check.

Education leaders say they want to avoid any possible negative long-term impacts on students. The Department of Public Instruction says Hurricane Florence caused more than 1.2 million students in North Carolina public schools to miss some days of class.

State legislators say they're working on a disaster relief bill that will address extended public school closures and teacher pay issues resulting from Hurricane Florence.

Republican state education leaders announced Monday in Wilmington that they're planning legislation designed to ensure teachers that they will get paid without using vacation time.

Sen. Michael Lee of Wilmington, Rep. Craig Horn of Weddington and state Superintendent Mark Johnson also discussed adjusting the school calendar law to address lost classroom time because of closures.

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