North Carolina teacher rally 2019

Last year, hundreds of teachers in the Tar Heel state of North Carolina marched their way towards the state capital in Raleigh to protest against poor teaching conditions, low wages, and a plethora of issues constantly faced by the state's public school educators each year. The turnout was so great that majority of local education agencies were forced to shut down schools due to the amount of teachers "taking off" for that day. It is a very well known fact that teachers, not only in NC but throughout the nation, are not very well compensated for their duties, which in many cases extend beyond the call of duty. Making your voice heard throughout the state and, perhaps the nation, is one way of getting the attention of the state legislator. Coincidentally, a bill have been in the works before the rally of 2018 to raise teacher pay, and lo and behold, just about every educator received a pay raise starting August 2018. But is it really the end of it? Teachers have been among the lowest paid group of licensed professionals for decades. The compensation recently received​ doesn't really match the cost of living needed to live in costly areas such as The Triangle, The Triad and the Queen City metro areas. The State Superintendent is urging educators to postpone the rally possibly due to the stresses of the "testing month" of May. Hit 'em where it hurts. If you want to be heard, rally at a time that is critical. Parents that are not employed as educators are against the rally as well and are faced with a financial burden of providing child care for their young school-aged children. This is definitely not the end. School class sizes must be reduced, and standardized testing should not be the main factor that determines student achievement.

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