North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has released his recommended budget for FY 2023-2025, named First in Opportunity

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has released his recommended budget for FY 2023-2025, named First in Opportunity.

The plan is aimed at investing in North Carolina's families, businesses, and communities. The budget includes significant investments in public schools, with an average 18% teacher raise over the biennium, and additional funding to hire educators, nurses, counselors, and more. The budget also recommends $1.5 billion in new funding for child care and early childhood education and bolsters the state's growing workforce by enhancing services to connect employers and employees. Other key areas of investment include mental health services, public safety, and violent crime prevention. The budget is balanced, responsible, and does not raise taxes for North Carolinians while maintaining almost $7 billion in reserves.