Easley Selects N.C. School Systems To Receive Education Grants

Gov. Mike Easley has chosen the first school systems that will share $334,000 in grants.

Easley has designated eight county school systems to share the grants: Wake, Durham, Cumberland, Granville, Scotland, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, Newton-Conover City Schools in Catawba County and Asheville City Schools in Buncombe County.

The grants are part of the North Carolina New Schools Project, coordinated by the Public School Forum of North Carolina. The project began with an $11 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The money will be used to build new, smaller and academically challenging high schools.