Welcome back to another week of Robertson’s Reportings! On February 12, Guilford County Superintendent Doctor Sharon Contreras testified before the House Committee on Education and Labor in support of teachers and students of the Guilford County school district. The hearing, titled “Underpaid Teachers and Crumbling Schools: How Underfunding Public Education Shortchanges America’s Students,” was meant to give educational facilities more funding. It is estimated that the 126 Guilford County schools need a total of about $1.5 billion dollars to do a variety of things including purchasing air conditioning systems, buying new textbooks, and properly cleaning moldy walls. Dr. Contreras brought these points up at the hearing. She emphasized one study done which shows that ten Guilford County schools had conditions of a school that was recommended to be closed. In one Guilford County Schools facility test, Page received score of 65 on a scale going up to 100. The score was so because of the poor condition but also for the lack of technology. The lowest scoring school was Foust Elementary, receiving a 34.

If you have seen the news over the past few weeks, you may have heard about the “Green New Deal.” This is a controversial group of policies that address energy use, global warming, economics, and aims to bring socialism into play. By definition, socialism is a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. Some examples of socialism include the idea of free college for all. The deal was brought up by Alexander Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic New York Representative. The deal also calls for limiting, or even abolishing, air travel. Ocasio-Cortez’s plan suggests providing Americans with an income for those that are “unable” or “unwilling” to work, so Americans would be forced to pay trillions of dollars in taxes.

On February 13, Disney released its official Frozen 2 trailer. The sequel will be in the theaters on November 22 of this year, almost six years after the original Frozen came out. The first film made about $1.2 billion worldwide. The iconic song “Let It Go” made the top five on Billboard 100 too. Frozen received many other awards including multiple Oscars.

As of February 14, it has been a year since the Parkland shooting. Attendance at the school was low, as many students took the day off to remember the 17 that were killed. In the school’s county, Broward County, a moment of silence was taken at 10:17. In Parkland, Florida, the day is now “A Day of Service and Love.” The Eagles Act, which funds programs for schools to help prevent possible threats, is a bill that was recently introduced to Congress. Both of Florida’s Senators were part of the creation of this act. See you next time on Robertson’s Reportings, coverage you can count on!