Following a press conference to discuss the introduction of HB 1129 and HB1130, Reps. Rosa Gill (D-Wake County) and Raymond Smith (D-Wayne County) joined Tim Boyum on Capital Tonight to discuss how the bills would help resolve the Leandro case.

WATCH: State House Democrats on Leandro Legislation

Representative Rosa Gill: 

• “The bills that we’ve introduced [are] putting in place a plan … for us to be able to make sure that all of our kids are successful in their educational endeavor.”

• “If we want all of our kids to be successful, then we’re going to have to make that hard decision to spend the money where it’s needed.”

Representative Raymond Smith: 

• “These bills are a long-term solution to a long-term problem … It’s been a decade of divestment in education. We need to start reinvesting in education, and hopefully our 2020 election will turn that around.”

• “We have to prioritize education in the state of North Carolina. I’m a product of the public school system here in the state of North Carolina and I absolutely stand toe-to-toe with anyone in any state in the nation with my education. And that is because we prioritized education in our decades past.”

HB 1129 would update North Carolina’s antiquated school grading system, allows teacher salary increases commensurate with experience and performance, and would set an ambitious five-year goal of reducing the number of uncertified teachers and leaders in high-poverty schools and limiting the number of teachers and leaders with less than three years of experience in those schools.

HB 1130 would allocate money to train and keep the best teachers in North Carolina, add significant investments in Pre-K, Infant-Toddler and Smart Start programs to benefit our children early in their development, and increases supplemental funding for special needs students and low income schools and eligible districts.