%%title%%
NC Officials Announce $1M Fund for K-12 Field Trips
Source: Lee Lawson / Getty
Some public schools in the state will see a boost in their field trip budget, thanks to a newly-announced program.
On Wednesday (Nov. 13), Gov. Roy Cooper and Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson announced a $1 million fund for field trips meant to support access to more than 1000 DNCR locations.
“Hands-on learning through field trips is an important part of children’s education but not all schoolchildren have the opportunity to experience them,” Cooper said in a statement to WRAL. “This program will help ensure that public school students have the opportunity to take field trips regardless of barriers like cost or location.”
Called the “Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund,” the money will be available to K-12 public schools in the state, with priority going to schools with a higher percentage of lower-income students. It will offer reimbursements to public schools that visit DNCR-managed sites, including state parks, museums, historic sites, aquariums, and the zoo.
DNCR will manage the fund, in partnership with PBS North Carolina.
“Through this fund, we will be able to help even more students venture outside the classroom and visit these special places that will captivate their interest and curiosity and also connect them to what it means to live in and love North Carolina,” Wilson said in a statement.
A portion of the money will be reserved for schools affected by Hurricane Helene in western NC to make sure they have equal opportunities for field trip funding.
