THUNDERSTORM POSSIBILITIES. MICHELLE. THANK YOU. NEW AT 4:00 TONIGHT, TWO LOCAL WOMEN ARE GRIEVING. ONE HER HUSBAND, THE OTHER HER FIANCE. THE MEN DIED IN A TRACTOR TRAILER ACCIDENT IN ARKANSAS OVER THE WEEKEND. WXII 12 CHRIS PETERSEN HAS THEIR EMOTIONAL INTERVIEW AND THE CHALLENGES THAT LIE AHEAD. AMBER WARD AND JESSICA CALLAWAY EACH HAVE THREE CHILDREN AND SAY THE GRIEF THEY’RE DEALING WITH IS UNIMAGINABLE. AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, A POLICE INVESTIGATION AND FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES ARE MAKING IT HARD FOR THEM TO BRING THEIR LOVED ONES REMAINS HOME. I GOT AN ALERT FROM MY HUSBAND’S APPLE WATCH THAT THERE HAD BEEN A CRASH, SO I GOT UP AND I TRIED TO CALL HIM AND I DIDN’T GET NO ANSWER FOR AMBER WARD AND JESSICA CALLAWAY, THEIR WORST NIGHTMARE HAS BECOME A REALITY. WHEN AMBER CALLED ME TO TELL ME THAT HER HUSBAND’S WATCH HAD SAID THERE WAS A WRECK, MY FIRST INSTINCT WAS TO CALL DAVID. UM, AND HE, OF COURSE, DIDN’T ANSWER. HIS PHONE WENT STRAIGHT TO VOICEMAIL. ACCORDING TO AN ACCIDENT REPORT WITH THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THE TRUCK BRAD SMALLWOOD AND DAVID CALLAWAY WERE IN VEERED OFF AN INTERSTATE AND STRUCK THE CENTER PYLON OF A BRIDGE OVERPASS. THEY BOTH DIED FROM THEIR INJURIES. I JUST I JUST BROKE DOWN. I MEAN, THERE’S THERE’S NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE GRIEF THAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND AND AND THEN YOU YOU WONDER BEING, YOU KNOW, THERE NOT THE SOLE PROVIDER, BUT THEY PROVIDE MOST OF THE INCOME FOR THE HOUSEHOLD. YOU WONDER HOW HOW AM I GOING TO FEED MY KIDS NEXT WEEK? ADDING TO THAT GRIEF IS NOT ONLY THE COST TO BRING THEIR LOVED ONES HOME, BUT AN AUTOPSY ON DAVID’S BODY IS BEING PERFORMED, CAUSING MORE DELAYS. IT’S JUST BEEN A VERY SLOW MOVING PROCESS, WHICH I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE, BUT THERE ARE ALSO FAMILIES THAT NEED CLOSURE. A CLOSURE. WARD, CALLAWAY AND THEIR CHILDREN MADE ON EXPERIENCE FOR A WHILE. THEY DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND, ESPECIALLY OUR YOUNGEST ONES ARE ALMOST THE SAME AGE AND THEY JUST THEY DON’T DON’T UNDERSTAND BECAUSE AND I DON’T EVEN THINK WE FULLY GRASPED IT. THEY’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HOME YET. THEY DON’T GET HOME TILL THURSDAY. WARD AND CALLAWAY ARE STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO SEE WHEN THEIR LOVED ONE’S REMAINS CAN COME HOME, AND AN ORGANIZATION CALLED TRUCKERS FINAL MILE HAS REACHED OUT TO HELP THEM IN STUDIO TONIGHT I’M CHRIS PETERSEN, WXII 12 NEWS. CHRIS. THANK YOU. A WOMAN IS DEAD TONIGHT AFTER A CRASH AT A CAR WASH. GREENSBORO. POLICE SAY IT HAPPENED ON BATTLEGROUND AVENUE ON APRIL 16TH. POLICE SAY 91 YEAR OLD BILLY TILLMAN WAS LEAVING THE CAR WASH HEADING INTO THE VACUUM AREA WHEN SHE PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND HIT A POLE. THE AIRBAGS THEN CAME OUT. POLICE SAY TILLMAN HAD NON-LIFE THREATENING INJURIES, BUT ON MAY 5TH, SHE DIED. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER SAYS THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS RELATED TO THE CRASH. CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG POLICE SAY ALL OFFICERS INJURED IN THE TRAGIC INCIDENT ON APRIL 29TH ARE NOW BACK HOME. THE DEPARTMENT SAYS, QUOTE, PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP CMPD OFFICERS. CHRIS TOLLEY. MICHAEL GIGLIO, JACK BLOWERS AND JUSTIN CAMPBELL IN YOUR THOUGHTS AS THEY CONTINUE TO HEAL FOR OFFICERS DIED THAT DAY. THEY WERE ALDEN ELLIOTT, SAMUEL PELOSI, THOMAS WEEKS JR AND JOSHUA AYER. THE TRIAD CONTINUES TO HONOR FALLEN GREENSBORO POLICE SERGEANT DALE NIX. THE CITY IS TAKING UP A RESOLUTION TONIGHT, WHICH FORMALLY STATES THAT THE CITY WISHES TO EXPRESS ITS CONDOLENCES AND OFFER SINCERE GRATITUDE FOR HIS YEARS OF SERVICE. A COPY OF THE RESOLUTION WILL THEN BE DELIVERED TO NIX’S FAMILY. HE WAS KILLED ON DECEMBER 30TH AFTER ATTEMPTING TO STOP SHOPLIFTING SUSPECTS. PUBLIC EDUCATION IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR GOVERNOR ROY COOPER, AND TODAY THE GOVERNOR VISITED BEN L SMITH HIGH SCHOOL TO CELEBRATE TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. IT IS PART OF HIS EFFORT TO HIGHLIGHT HOW STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS BUILD STRONG COMMUNITIES. COOPER HAS PROCLAIMED 2024 THE YEAR OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IN ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO, GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOL LEADERS WILL HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK THE DISTRICT SHOULD PRIORITIZE IN ITS NEXT BUDGET. JOSHUA DAVIS JUST GOT NEW INSIGHT FROM THE BOARD AND EXPLAINS WHAT ONE MEMBER HOPES TO FOCUS ON TONIGHT. JOSHUA. I SPOKE TO MICHAEL LOGAN, WHO REPRESENTS DISTRICT THREE WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE FORMER EDUCATOR TELLS ME THAT HE BELIEVES TONIGHT’S MEETING WILL SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON TEACHER PAY. HOWEVER, HE SAYS THAT SHOULDN’T BE A SURPRISE. IT’S BEEN A REOCCURRING TOPIC AT BOARD MEETINGS FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS WITH EDUCATORS AND OTHER SCHOOL STAFF EVEN RALLYING IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS, HE SAYS. IT’S JUST PART OF THE REASON DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE ARE DEALING WITH TEACHER SHORTAGES. DATA FROM GCS SHOWS THEIR TEACHER SHORTAGE RATE STEADILY GROWING SINCE THE PANDEMIC, STARTING AT 8% IN 2020 AND REACHING 18% BY 2023. IT’S A SIMILAR SITUATION FOR DISTRICTS STATEWIDE. LOGAN SAYS. TO SOLVE PROBLEMS LIKE THIS, GCS NEEDS TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY. OUR MOTTO IS BETTER TOGETHER, WHICH MEANS WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER. COME TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, UH, SEE WHAT IS GOING ON. WATCH IT. LEARN FROM IT, AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE INVOLVED WITHIN THE SCHOOLS AND GCS IS RECOMMENDING A BUDGET OF $960 MILLION FOR THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. LOGAN SAYS THEY’LL HAVE TO GET A BIT CREATIVE TO MAKE EVERY CENT COUNT IN GREENSBORO. I’M JOSHUA DAVIS FOR WXII 12 NEWS. IT IS TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. WARD ELEMENTARY IN WINSTON-SALEM IS CELEBRATING WITH FOOD AND GIFTS FOR THEIR EDUCATORS, TEACHERS THERE TELL US THAT THE MONTH OF MAY CAN BE VERY STRESSFUL AS THEY WRAP UP FINAL TESTING AND CURRICULUM GOALS, THEY TELL US THE BEST REWARD IS SEEING STUDENTS SUCCEED. TEACHING AS A PROFESSION IS DEFINITELY A CALLING THAT GETS OVERLOOKED A LOT, AND I JUST LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE BEING SEEN THIS WEEK AND JUST LOVED ON A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE THEY GIVE SO MUCH TO THE STUDENTS TO THEIR TEAMMATES AND EVERYBODY AT THE SCHOOL. SO TEACHERS SAY YOU CAN SHOW APPRECIATION AS WELL BY JUST WRITING A LETTER OR EVEN JUST REACHING OUT TO SAY THANK YOU. AND DESPITE THE APPRECIATION EVENTS, MANY OF OUR STATES EDUCATORS SAY PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE FACING A CRISIS. THEY’RE CONCERNED ABOUT PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS, TEACHER PAY, AND TEACHER RETENTION. BILL O’NEIL REPORTS. THIS REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS ARE FAST TRACKING A BILL THAT WILL ADD HALF $1 BILLION TO THE PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM. MANY EDUCATORS SAY THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO LET THAT HAPPEN. IT IS A VERY BIG CONCERN. THE HEAD OF THE GUILFORD COUNTY TEACHERS ASSOCIATION JOINS WITH GOVERNOR COOPER’S CALL FOR A MORATORIUM ON PUBLIC MONEY USED FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS. AND WE NEED IT NOW BECAUSE THIS IS A CRISIS AND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE THIS LEVEL OF FUNDING CUTS THAT ARE COMING FROM THE VOUCHER EXPANSION IN PROPOSED IN THE LEGISLATURE, ANY VOUCHER SCHEME DESIGNED TO TAKE PUBLIC DOLLARS OUT OF A PUBLIC SCHOOLS NECESSARILY MEANS THAT WE ARE FUELING THE INEQUITIES THAT ARE ALREADY THERE. THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION SAYS THE COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON THE PROMISE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. WE ARE HURTING OUR DEMOCRACY IN EVERY WAY. UM, ITS ECONOMY, ITS, UM, CONTINUED PROMISE, UH, OF THE RICH DIVERSITY AND TAPESTRY OF THIS COUNTRY. VOUCHERS AREN’T THE ONLY MONEY CONCERN THAT EDUCATORS HAVE. NORTH CAROLINA CURRENTLY RANKS 38TH IN AVERAGE TEACHER PAY, 42ND IN STARTING TEACHER PAY. EDUCATORS SAY THE BELOW AVERAGE PAY MAKES IT HARD TO KEEP GOOD TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM. I WOULD SAY RETENTION IS RIGHT UP THERE IN THE TOP. WE KNOW THAT OUR ATTRITION RATE IN GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS WAS 18%. UM, IN IN THE PAST SCHOOL YEAR. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT’S 1 IN 5 TEACHERS LEAVING NEA PRESIDENT BECKY PRINGLE SAYS ANOTHER CONCERN IS RESPECT. SHE SAYS ANYONE WHO HAS NEVER SPENT TIME IN A CLASSROOM SHOULD NOT TELL A TEACHER HOW TO DO THEIR JOB. IN GREENSBORO,