CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Educators across North Carolina are preparing for the "March for Students and Rally for Respect" in Raleigh on Wednesday.
Thousands of educators from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and other districts in the area are planning to attend to hold legislators accountable for education funding.
Erlene Lyde, a science teacher and president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators, said it is exciting to see how the movement has taken off, and it shows that teachers have each other’s backs heading into the rally.
“When you mess with teacher’s students, that’s when they get riled up,” Lyde said, “and they are mighty riled up because they know and see it every day in the classroom that they have been squeezed, and we’re not able to do more with less anymore.”
The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) said per-pupil funding in the state is $2,400 behind the national average, and teacher pay is about $9,600 behind the national average.
NCAE said it is advocating for lawmakers to increase per-pupil funding, raise teacher pay, invest in school safety, fix crumbling buildings and invest in classrooms over corporate boardrooms.
“Teachers uniting, inspiring others to come out and take charge of their schools and their communities and leading the way is your worst nightmare if you are not a friend of public education,” Lyde said.
Ross Danis, president and CEO of the independent nonprofit MeckEd, said he would guess that most teachers would rather be in the classroom on Wednesday, but the strength in the movement shows how great the need is in Mecklenburg County.
"They don't want to do this, but they're in a position where they've been actually forced to now step up and make the demands that they're making,” Danis said.
Danis believes this rally on Wednesday is only the beginning of the conversation that goes beyond teacher pay.
“Certainly pay is important, but beyond pay, it’s all about respect and being treated like a professional and having the community support and parent support in classrooms,” he added.
The march in Raleigh starts at 9:45 a.m. at the NCAE headquarters. Educators will march from there to the North Carolina General Assembly to urge lawmakers to make public education a priority in this year’s budget.
A rally is also being held in Charlotte at 11 a.m. at First Ward Park in Uptown.