Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed May 2 – 6, 2022 as Teacher Appreciation Week and May 3, 2022 as Teacher Appreciation Day to celebrate North Carolina’s educators and highlight their impact on children and the state.

“North Carolina has the best teachers in the country, and I’m grateful for all they do to ensure our students are safe, healthy and ready to go out into the world,” said Governor Cooper. “Their work is critical to helping us build a brighter future for our communities and workforce.”

Governor Cooper is committed to ensuring teachers have the tools and resources they need to succeed. In November 2021, the Governor signed a bipartisan budget that included an average 5% pay raise for teachers over the biennium, an increase of minimum wage for non-certified personnel, up to $2,800 in bonuses for most teachers and a new state-funded teacher salary supplement for low-income counties to recruit teachers. The budget also included more than $2 million recurring each year of the biennium to expand the Advanced Teaching Roles program.

In December 2021, the Governor extended Executive Order 113 to ensure that the DRIVE Task Force can continue its work to implement their recommendations to prepare, recruit, retain and support a more diverse educator workforce.

One of the DRIVE Task Force recommendations would expand the NC Teaching Fellows Program. In June 2021, the Teaching Fellows program was expanded to include partnerships with three minority-serving institutions: Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.