RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The leader of the North Carolina House is thinking twice about the end of a longtime program that's given scholarships to thousands of high school students who plan to become teachers.
Speaker Thom Tillis said he's persuaded by educators and other advocates that the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program shouldn't end. The News & Observer of Raleigh (http://bit.ly/nnyvbm ) reported Tillis' statements at a Wilmington town hall meeting last week.
The program offers $6,500-a-year scholarships to high school seniors who agree to teach for four years in public schools after college graduation. This year's state budget eliminated funding for the next freshman class and included wording to eventually phase out the program.
Tillis said he's asked his staff to examine how to keep funding scholarships for the next group of students.
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