More than 10,000 people organized for the Teacher’s Rally for Respect and March for Students in Raleigh on Wednesday, to advocate for increased per-pupil funding, better teacher pay and access to more supplies and resources for classrooms. Organized by the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), in conjunction with the Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE), teachers began marching at the NCAE headquarters and ended at the NC Legislative Building.
According to march volunteers Amira Pankey and Julia Singley, who work with CAPE in Guilford County, approximately 14,000 teachers officially took personal days in order to attend the rally.
Cheryl Burford is a music teacher at Clyde Erwin Elementary Magnet School of International Studies and Cultural Arts in Onslow County. She says her classroom isn’t connected to the school, and 25 years ago she was told it was supposed to be temporary.
“I teach in a classroom that is an outside room — smaller than all the other rooms on campus,” Burford said. “It’s an older school, so mold in our buildings is unbelievable. In three years, if legislation doesn’t change the class size, I will lose my classroom. Our students are in such peril. They come to class crying, they’re hungry; 80 percent or more are at the poverty level.”
North Carolina is currently ranked 37th in teacher pay and 39th in per-pupil spending, according to a report released by the National Education Association in April.
NC State alum Alexandria Pitts (‘15) teaches at Paw Creek Elementary School in Charlotte and is tired of hearing empty words of support from legislators.
“People always say ‘We support teachers’ but they have to show it,” Pitts said. “We’re here to make sure the demands we’ve laid out get met — reinstating master’s pay, readjusting class size. [We want] to bring light to problems we’ve consistently been telling [legislators] about.”
Some teachers, including Tequila Powell, a teacher at Northside Elementary School in Chapel Hill, are worried about having to compete with other states and districts across the nation recruiting NC teachers.
“We have other districts and states recruiting NC teachers, so we can’t compete,” Powell said. “Universities are downsizing education departments. No one wants to pay for a four-year degree if they’re going to pay us little enough to need multiple jobs, even just to buy supplies for classrooms.”
Rebecca LaMaire, an art teacher at Holt Elementary in Durham, is concerned about the future of teaching as a profession, and what that means for students.
“I think the General Assembly needs to respect public education,” LaMaire said. “Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions. I hope that this will send the General Assembly a clear message that we are willing to stand up for our students.”
Although the march and rally are primarily aimed at North Carolina’s public education system, teachers from private and charter schools were in attendance as well. Shanna Darwish (‘98) is an NC State alum who teaches at Al-Iman School, a private school in Raleigh. Darwish is set to begin pursuing a master’s degree in education at NC State in the fall.
“I want to get my master’s in education so I can better provide for my students, even though there’s no master’s pay anymore,” Darwish said. “I think it’s time for NC to step up to do what’s needed for our schools. People aren’t getting their needs met when they’re small.”
Today’s march and rally mark the start of six months of action and holding state representatives accountable, according to the NCAE website. The website also stipulates five demands from elected leaders, including an increase in per-pupil spending, a “multi-year professional pay plan” for teachers, an increased number of mental and physical health professionals in schools, and moderated class sizes.
“I’ve just seen a lot of desire for change,” said Julianne Kiesel, the school social worker and counselor at Al-Iman School. “A place for continuity for children is in the classroom. It’s important to make that available.”
