LIVE: Mark Robinson Skips Board of Education Vote on Teacher Bonuses to Hold Campaign Event

Right now, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is skipping a Board of Education meeting to host a campaign event in Mooresville, North Carolina. 

Robinson, who has previously paid lip service to the importance of appreciating teachers and lists teacher pay as one of his campaign’s top issues, chose not to attend today’s State Board of Education meeting, where a vote regarding teacher bonuses is on the agenda. 

The Lieutenant Governor has a permanent seat at state Board of Education meetings. Instead of showing up for North Carolina’s teachers, he is currently hosting a campaign event in Iredell County, where he will likely continue to bluster about the importance of paying teachers.

As Robinson campaigns in Iredell County, a new report from the NC Justice Center finds that Robinson’s plan to reject federal funding for schools would cost Iredell-Statesville Schools $18,817,354. Robinson’s plan would force Iredell-Statesville Schools to fire 151 staff members, including 70 teachers, 51 teacher’s assistants, and 30 other support staff. 

“Mark Robinson has never shown up for a Military Affairs Commission meeting after talking a big game about supporting veterans, so no one should be shocked that Mark Robinson only has empty promises to offer teachers, too,” said Morgan Hopkins, a spokesperson for the campaign. “After all, he called public school teachers ‘wicked.’ While Robinson continues to blow off opportunities to tangibly help the groups he claims to support, Attorney General Josh Stein has a proven record of taking on tough fights for North Carolina and delivering.”