Educators from around the state are descending on Raleigh today to call on lawmakers to increase support for public schools. Last year a similar teacher protest drew about 20,000 educators and supporters to North Carolina’s capital.
This year the North Carolina Association of Educators is asking for five things: more support staff; a $15 minimum wage for all school personnel and a five percent raise for teachers and administrators; the expansion of Medicaid; the reinstatement of retiree health benefits; and the restoration of advanced degree compensation.
Host Frank Stasio talks to WUNC politics reporter Rusty Jacobs live from the protest about the scene and about the latest proposals in the North Carolina House budget, which include school employee raises and the return of advanced degree pay for teachers.
Stasio also talks to Alexa Briggs about her experience working in Guilford County Schools. She spent five years in the classroom as a high school special education teacher, and today she is the Homebound Services Coordinator for all 126 schools in the county. She works with teachers who provide in-home education for students who are not able to come to school for physical or mental health reasons.