Gov. Cooper says he’ll seek public school spending surge in NC budget

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper says he’ll aim to get Republican lawmakers to fund North Carolina public education improvements a judge says the state must start implementing.

He made the comments Tuesday about a decades-old school funding case called “Leandro.”

He also spoke as a critical phase of state budget talks will soon begin.

Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore are expected this week to send to Cooper an initial joint offer on state government spending for the next two years.

Earlier Republican budget proposals fell well short of what Cooper and the judge say are needed to spend on education.