NCAE
NEWS BULLETIN November
2015
NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS
Volume 46, No. 4
Campaign 2016 Starts Now!
Last month, the General Assembly adjourned after one of the longest legislative sessions in more than a decade. Even though things on Jones Street are quiet, now is the time for educators to begin thinking about the 2016 election and what it will mean to public education. Next year, we will elect a new president and governor. There will also be critical races for U.S. Congress as well as for the N.C. Legislature. All of these offices have a huge effect on public education. It’s imperative that educators, and those who support public education, vote for pro-public education candidates because the decisions they make greatly impact our classrooms, profession, and personal lives. The state faced a $21.7 billion compromise budget that fell short of keeping pace with our growing public schools and the needs of students. We encountered A-F letter grades for schools. Career status and the constitutionality of vouchers played out in the courts. But you, our members, still made a difference by pushing for more resources and protecting our schools
from even more harmful damage. With that said, educators are going to have to push even harder to ensure that our students receive the education to which they are entitled. We are going to have to push even harder to ensure that the state’s per-pupil spending is increased and that we are not near the bottom when it comes to average teacher salaries. We are going to have to push to ensure that we don’t lose any more great teachers to other states because they feel undervalued here in North Carolina. “Again this year, and in the past few years, some in the General Assembly have clearly exhibited that public education is not a priority in this state,” said NCAE President Rodney Ellis. “Instead of using a $450 million surplus to move public education forward, they chose to cut taxes for corporations, funnel more money into vouchers, and deny thousands of educators a permanent pay raise. “It’s all about investing in our students and the resources they so desperately need. That’s why we have to begin putting strategies in place now so that we can be victorious in 2016. The outcome on November 8 will determine the direction
that public education will take. What we do, or don’t do, at the ballot box will either change the game or continue the dismantling.” Everything related to public education is connected to politics – textbooks and digital resources, class size, educator
benefits, etc. This is why choosing candidates who believe in strengthening public education is so important. In order for educators to have a place at the table, we must engage ourselves in the campaigns of pro-public education candidates, whether it be canvassing, making phone calls, or distributing literature. And, we must vote! And we must encourage our family and friends to vote. And, we must have a hand in helping to register those who are not registered to vote so they too can have their voices heard. Over the next 12 months, we must take critical steps to ensure that public education comes out victorious in 2016. We must set our sights on the work that needs to be done to address how successful our students and public schools will be in the future. We have an opportunity to change the direction of the tide. Let’s do it starting now!