Thousands of teachers rally at state Capitol for higher pay

All eyes were on Raleigh on Friday where thousands of teachers came together demanding higher pay.

This comes after a recent report from the National Educators Association that found North Carolina teachers are ranked 43rd in teacher salary.

As such, thousands of educators flooded the state Capitol streets, demanding a more reasonable wage.

Anita Walker has been a CMS teacher for decades.

“We are ready for a change,” Walker said. “Charlotte-Mecklenberg has not had a raise in so long. I’ve been teaching 30 years, and I feel like it’s time for us to up the pay for veteran teachers.”

CMS, Cabarrus, and Gaston County Schools all canceled Friday class because so many teachers called out for the protest. That includes nearly 2,000 for CMS.

Students and parents also showed up in support for the rally, organized by the North Carolina Association of Educators. They’re calling it the “Kids Over Corporations” rally.

North Carolina is the only state in the country that still doesn’t have a state budget, and no state budget means no chance for teacher raises or additional public school funding.

Friday’s rally got the attention of Governor Josh Stein, who says North Carolina needs a budget that values our students and their teachers. He recently introduced legislation that would make starting teacher salary the highest in the southeast.

“But for too long, the legislature has prioritized tax cuts for corporations and their out-of-state shareholders instead of making these investments. It’s upside down,” Gov. Stein said. “When we invest in our students and in our teachers, we invest in a stronger future for all of North Carolina.”