A year after flooding downtown Raleigh to demand more support for public schools from state lawmakers, teachers are planning a similar rally this May.
Mark Jewell, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, called the planned May 1 rally a "Day of Action for public education."
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"I'm sad to say, we still have enemies on Jones Street; we're fighting even now for a budget that will prioritize student resources, educator pay and school safety. Some people still stand in the way of those basic, fundamental values," Jewell wrote in a post on the NCAE's Facebook page. "So, it's time we paid them another visit. Just in case they need a reminder that we're still here, and they still have a job to do."
Jewell said Monday that last year's rally, which was held on the first day of the legislative session and drew an estimated 19,000 people, led to some changes in the state budget and at the ballot box. Teachers got raises this year, and Republicans lost their veto-proof majorities in the House and the Senate.
But recent tax cuts are starving North Carolina schools, Jewell said.
"We feel that this General Assembly, since 2013, has made a choice to prioritize the corporate boardroom over the public school classroom," he said. "Our educators and our community members and our allies are saying no more. North Carolina's better than this."
Per-student spending in North Carolina is about $2,500 below the national average, he said. New textbooks haven't been adopted in more than a decade, and parents and teachers routinely have to purchase classroom supplies themselves, he said.
Jewell predicted this year's march will be even larger than last time.
"Our folks will tell you they're struggling right now. Educators will tell you they're working two and three jobs out there. Parents will tell you [schools] have 35 kids in a classroom, and they're cutting art, music and [physical education]."
Republican legislative leaders point to progress on teacher pay: The state has gone from ranking 37th nationally in average teacher salary last year to 29th this year. But Jewell said the raises weren't across the board.
"While the average out there, they say, is improving, the raises haven't been done fairly," he said. "Most of our experienced educators haven't received an increase, or only a small increase, since the recession."
Another top priority is more funding for school nurses, counselors, social workers and psychologists. Jewell said the state is falling far behind national standards.
"Right now, you may have one school nurse for several thousand students," he said. "You may have a school counselor going into your school about one day a week. Goodness forbid a child have a meltdown."
NCAE is also asking lawmakers to restore bonus pay for teachers with master's degrees, and the organization also wants to see Medicaid expanded. Sick children or students with sick parents can't do their best in school, Jewell said.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson asked teachers not to disrupt a school day to protest.
"We support teachers and are championing the changes our education system needs, but I cannot support protests that force schools to close," Johnson said in a statement, noting that lawmakers will be in session long after the school year ends.
"Protesting is a right that can be just as effective during non-school hours," he said. "Closing schools affects not only students’ learning and nutrition, but also parents, other school employees, and other teachers."
Jewell said Johnson "underestimates the critical needs that face our public schools."
"Time is of the essence so that we do not lose a generation of students with underfunded, starving, under-resourced public schools," Jewell said in a statement. "The state legislature sets the schedule for the budget process, and our rally is meant to impact the budget discussions as early as possible."