Tabor City, N.C. – Deputy House Majority Leader Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) and Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) met with education officials at South Columbus High School on Friday in the second stop of a tour supporting a statewide school construction bond.
Speaker Moore announced in December he would sponsor legislation this session proposing the education investments to North Carolina voters.
Deputy House Majority Leader Brenden Jones said Friday’s visit to South Columbus High School was a chance to talk directly with his local superintendent and school board members:
“We have schools in our county that date back to 1924, and we need the state’s help,” Jones said.
“I’m very thankful for the Speaker coming down, working to make sure we bring the kind of quality buildings that offer a quality education to our children.”
Columbus County Schools Superintendent Jonathan Williams said new a new school “could be a tremendous boost to our local economy.”
“This is very helpful for us, because the needs that we have are more immediate here,” Williams said.
“We do have facilities that are more than 100 years old. It is a game changer, but we see it in rural counties as more of an equalizer. It will be a tremendous boost to our local economy, our education system in our county, and we just see it as a plus and are looking forward to it passing.”
A key reason counties need a statewide school bond is school safety, said Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland).
“It’s so much easier to give our SROs what they need in newer buildings,” Moore said. “It’s easier to keep students safe in newer schools.”