NORTH CAROLINA -- Gov. Roy Cooper is calling for freezing some tax cuts to give teachers more resources.

  • Freezing the tax cuts frees up enough money to give teachers at least a five percent raise.
  • Plan also proposes school supply stipends and classroom renovations.
  • Cooper wants to expand Medicaid, help the state prison system, and hurricane relief efforts.

It was part of his budget unveil Thursday for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The plan is just ahead of the short session at the Legislature.

Freezing the tax cuts frees up enough money to give teachers at least a five percent raise.

According to the governor's office, this tax cut freeze would only affect those making more than $200,000 per year and corporations.

The governor's plan proposes a $150 stipend for school supplies, $25 million for text book and digital learning and $75 million to pay for classroom renovations for the kindergarten through third grade class size law.

Cooper also touched on hurricane relief efforts, expanding Medicaid, and putting about $28 million into the state prison system.

The state budget director says the resources are necessary as our state continues to grow.

"We have 10.3 million people, we're the ninth largest state in the country, we grow 115,000 people a year which is equivalent to adding the city of High Point or the city of Wilmington annually," said Charlie Perusse.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger are reacting to Gov. Cooper's spending plan in a statement saying in part:

"Legislative Republicans have learned from the mistakes of Cooper's Democratic part and already committed to funding key priorities like a fifth consecutive teacher pay raise, tax relief to families and business, new incentives designed to recruit major new businesses to our state and record rainy day funding to prepare for future natural disasters."

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