‘Bring your legislator to school’ day makes its way to Asheville City Schools
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (HERE NEWS) — With around six weeks left in the school year, Asheville City Schools welcomed some visitors on Monday. For the second year in a row, it was “bring your legislator to school” day.
Legislators Involved
“Of course, I said yes as soon as I was invited,” District 115 Representative Lindsey Prather said. “Even within the last five, six, seven years, we’ve seen a lot of differences in the ways schools are used.”
That’s what brought Prather, District 49 Senator Julie Mayfield, and District 114 Representative Eric Ager to Asheville Middle School. It’s projected that over $17 billion will be invested in education. That accounts for over half of the state’s budget.
Importance of Being Informed
With that in mind, lawmakers like Prather are focused on being informed about the subject. “It’s incredibly important that all of us as legislators know what that money is going to and are able to intelligently talk about what’s going on in our schools,” she said. “It can be easy to get wrapped up in the political aspect in education. It was important to me to be abreast of what is happening in our schools right now.”
Impressions at the Schools
The group stopped in classes in both Ira B. Jones Elementary School and the middle school. In both buildings, the legislators were impressed with how teachers reached their students beyond the schoolwork.
“It is the school’s job to teach kindness, welcoming, and inclusiveness,” Mayfield said. “They have to deal with every child that walks in these doors. Their job is to make sure that everyone feels that they have a place here and are not marginalized. The more exposure we get to see what’s happening in public schools, what the needs are and see that firsthand, the more likely we are to address those needs through our funding.”
Positive Impact
The day wasn’t just a positive for those visiting.
“I think for a long time in North Carolina, educators have felt like sometimes they don’t always have the support from the state level that they would like,” Asheville Middle School Principal Jo Landreth said. “I think having seen three legislators in our building today will help them know that those folks are trying to do what’s best for students.”
Future Participation
With the day only being two years old, those already taking part anticipate more of their colleagues to come.
“I would love to see this more of a bipartisan effort to show that we are interested in what’s going on in our schools and that we want to continue to support that,” Prather said. “The more we’re all in schools and seeing the need firsthand, talking to teachers, administrators, and students, the more open we’re going to be and more likely to solve these problems,” Mayfield said.
Both Mayfield and Prather added that they hope to find time on other occasions to see schools for themselves when it isn’t “bring your legislator to school” day.
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