NC 2023 teacher of the year Kimberly Jones on the education needs Helene helped expose

The Bottom Line from NC Newsline

Kimberly S. Jones, 2023 NC Teacher of the Year (Photo: NCDPI)

One of the many areas in which Hurricane Helene has had a devastating impact in western North Carolina is public education. While the state Board of Education has made an initial request of 166 million dollars to begin to address some of the destruction, many school districts remain closed indefinitely and the recovery is sure to take months if not years.

Recently, to shed more light on these challenges, News and Views producer Clayton Henkel caught up with the 2023 North Carolina teacher of the year Kimberly Jones, who also sits on the State Board of Education. And while thankful for this initial relief request, Jones said there will be a need for lots more assistance to help in variety of areas – including repairing the damage to technology, infrastructure, and counselors to aid with student and teacher trauma.