In a special address, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper declared that public education in the state is facing a “state of emergency” as a result of “extreme legislation” in the NC General Assembly that would cripple the state’s public education system and urged North Carolinians to contact their legislators. “It’s clear that the Republican legislature is aiming to choke the life out of public education. If you care about public schools in North Carolina, it’s time to take immediate action and tell them to stop the damage that will set back our schools for a generation,” said Governor Cooper. North Carolina schools currently have more than 5,000 teacher vacancies. In addition, legislators are proposing an acceleration of tax cuts that are projected to cut North Carolina’s state budget by almost 20%, which could restrict the funding of public education.