Six hundred and fifty rural advocates and leaders from around the state gathered March 25-26 in Raleigh for the NC Rural Center’s annual summit. This year’s theme, “Securing our Rural Future,” looked at the ways the state is bolstering public education, attainment, housing, workforce, and more in rural areas.
The two-day event included main stage conversations about the framework for a thriving rural community from the Aspen Institute’s Chris Estes, a local government’s perspective on rural life, and a panel moderated by EdNC’s Mebane Rash on the state of K-12 rural education.
Political leaders including the state Superintendent for Public Instruction, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor all joined and spoke about their agendas during the summit.
Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green gave the plenary before the rural education panel.
“There is not one (other) institution in this country that upholds the values of celebrating every child, no matter their background, giving them access to the opportunities that they so richly deserve, and invites all to come in. What in the world am I talking about, other than public education?”
Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green
Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green. Caroline Parker/EdNC
Breakout sessions during the summit covered issues and success stories in rural areas for housing, early child care, small business growth, broadband, healthcare, and preparing the next workforce generation.
Leaders from Yadkin County held a session about expanding child care, and explained the correlation of child care to economic growth.
The NC Rural Center conducted a statewide listening tour in 2024 and found that “across geography, political affiliation, and gender, the most critical issues at the top of your minds are childcare, affordable housing, and the education of our future workforce.”
Yadkin County has been focusing on this child care initiative for years, and EdNC’s Liz Bell has been following.
“Rural counties face the fastest growing child care costs in North Carolina right now. That’s not fair, and we have to do more to bring those costs down,” she said.
Hunt is supporting the expansion of the NC Tri-Share program, which allows employers, employees, and the state to share child care costs, making it easier for hard working families to get the care they need, she said.
Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt. Caroline Parker/EdNCGov. Josh Stein at the Rural Summit 2025. Caroline Parker/EdNCCrowd at the 2025 Rural Summit. Caroline Parker/EdNC
Gov. Josh Stein delivered the last of the summit’s plenaries and chose to address education first.
“I want to start with education, because it is what underpins all that we are about going forward,” Stein said.
Stein said he believes student success is dependent on educators, and that North Carolina needs to address teacher shortages, and focus on recruitment, retainment, and increasing pay.
He wants to invest in school support staff and health personnel. Stein also called for free universal breakfast, no cell phones in the classroom, and phasing out the student voucher program.
“Public schools are about opening doors of opportunity for everybody,” he said, before talking about workforce, economic development, Medicaid expansion, and more.
“Our state’s path to success runs right through rural North Carolina. Rural North Carolina has had a significant role in this state’s history, and it will continue to have just a significant role in our state’s future.”
Gov. Josh Stein
You can look at the summit’s full two-day agenda here.
The state of rural education
Joining Rash on stage for the “The State of K-12 Rural Education” panel was Cecilia Holden, the president and CEO of myFutureNC; Sen. Kevin Corbin R-Macon; and Dr. Mary Ann Wolf, president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.
The group discussed North Carolina’s statewide education attainment goal, how public schools serves as anchor institutions in our rural areas, Helene recovery, funding, and more. Rash encouraged the audience to get to know these “bridge builders” and each was able to reflect on their personal connection to public education.
Panel on rural education at the Rural Summit. Caroline Parker/EdNC
At last year’s summit, Holden said in a breakout session, “There’s one word that describes economic development. What is that? Education. Education and economic development are one and the same.”
Her sentiments were reflected again during this year’s panel, and she updated the room on the progress of the myFutureNC goal — that 2 million people ages 25-44 hold an industry-valued credential or postsecondary degree by 2030.
This goal was adopted by the state with bipartisan support in 2019, and in February of this year myFutureNC’s annual report announced the state has achieved 1.7 million of the 2 million.
Holden said 79 out of our 100 counties have increased educational attainment, but she wants to get to 100. Holden believes the way to increasing economic prosperity, development, quality of life, and health care in these counties begins with having an effective educator in every classroom.
“Without an effective educator, you’re not going to have an educated workforce, no matter what the industry sector is. So I believe it does begin with having an effective educator in the classroom.”
Cecilia Holden, the president and CEO of myFutureNC
Corbin represents District 50, which includes Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Macon, Jackson, Swain, and Transylvania. He touched upon the long-term Hurricane Helene recovery and the damage western North Carolina has incurred.
“Our state budget is $30 billion and the damage done in western North Carolina is double that,” he said. “And that’s if the work was done today, if the resources were there today, and the workforce were there to do it, which neither one of those are happening. There’s not enough people to do the work. It’s so widespread and so big, it’s across about 25 counties.”
The most recent relief bill signed by Stein, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 Part 1, put $120 million into rebuilding homes, over $200 million into agriculture — for farms and crop loss — $100 million into repairing private roads and bridges, and $9 million to support summer school in the most impacted counties, among other things pointed out by Corbin.
“We’re six months in, but understand this is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “This is not going to be fixed in a year. It’s probably not going to be fixed in three or four years. It’s taking a while, and everybody’s committed to that.”
In the wake of Helene, Wolf and the NC Public School Forum were asked to help support educators dealing with compassion fatigue. They were “so busy taking care of children and their families on the front line,” that they were maybe not taking care of themselves, Wolf said. The Forum relied on its Resilience & Learning program for the training.
Wolf also talked about a recent convening of leaders gathered from across all lines of difference to talk about a weighted student funding formula. North Carolina currently has a resource model with some programmatic components to it, she said, but 41 states across the country are funded by this other weighted model.
She said it was a bright spot that 80 leaders across the state got together and had so much agreement on the priorities.
“People wanted to make sure there was an adequate base amount, then that we supported students that are economically disadvantaged, students with special needs, (and) students that were English learners, because the research shows that investment actually changes outcomes,” she said.
In closing, Rash asked the three panelists what they would ask audience members to do to make a difference in education moving forward. Holden asked for collaboration.
“Whatever your role might be at the end of the day, it really is that cross sector bipartisan support that’s going to get us to a place where we can move all 100 counties forward by increasing educational attainment,” said Holden.
Wolf asked that everyone lift up the good happening in their local public school, and when you see areas in need of improvement, get involved.
Corbin’s response centered around word “advocate.”
“Speak up. Speak up for your area. Speak up for where you’re from. Be proud of where you’re from, rural North Carolina. I am. I know you are. Speak up to your legislators. Let them know that you support public education.”
Caroline Parker is the director of rural storytelling and strategy for EducationNC. She covers the stories of rural North Carolina, the arts, STEM education and nutrition.
