NCAE News Bulletin
4
Local Affiliates Hammer Home the Importance
of Eradicating the State’s Educator Shortage Several NCAE local affiliates held press conferences to hammer home the message that every student deserves a qualified teacher in every classroom as the state waited on lawmakers to pass a budget. The teacher shortage looms heavily each passing day, resulting in some students being taught by long-term substitutes. Also of equal importance is the need for more bus drivers; support staff such as school counselors, psychologists, and nurses; and more safe, well-equipped schools where true learning can take place. Members wanted lawmakers to hear their message loud and clear to “stop hurting and shortchanging our students and invest in public schools and public education NOW!”
ROBESON COUNTY
CHARLOTTE/MECKLENBURG
“The solution is to pay educators, our custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, administrators, counselors, teachers, across the board and across the state.” -- Rae LeGrone, vice president of the Charlotte/ Mecklenburg Association of Educators
“Every student deserves a wellqualified teacher in all of their classes regardless of where they live or their family’s income. We [NC] have a shortage of qualified teachers because state lawmakers have underfunded public education and under-minded educators to the point this state cannot recruit and retain enough qualified teachers needed for all of our students. Qualified teachers are leaving the state and leaving the profession and there are not enough new college graduates who want to put up with the conditions that our state lawmakers have created for teachers in North Carolina.” – Dee Grissett, president of the Robeson County Association of Educators
WAKE COUNTY
“Northampton, Anson, Halifax, and Vance, rural, low-income counties, have the highest number of teacher vacancies. These counties don’t have the tax base to give the same supplement that other counties might to keep teachers from moving. Our rural students deserve better. They deserve the spotlight in this issue. The solution is a state budget with much better funded public schools.” – Kristin Beller, president of Wake NCAE
BUS DRIVERS/WAKE COUNTY
“State lawmakers must pass a state budget that fully funds our public schools and pays our bus drivers a living wage. Clearly, our school bus driver jobs do not pay enough to recruit the number of drivers North Carolina needs to consistently get our children to school on time. Our state lawmakers have been slow to respond. They must fix this now.” – Wake County Bus Driver
GUILFORD COUNTY
“Look closely at our public schools and you will see deteriorating school buildings, and a statewide staffing shortage. As the state budget enters its final process, we ask that North Carolinians look closely at our public schools. Presently, students in Guilford County are losing instructional time due to school closures around our aging buildings and failing HVAC systems. Our county does not have the capacity or the funds to address the billions of dollars or repairs needed to ensure comfortable learning environments for students and staff. We are asking lawmakers to make a true commitment to public schools.” – Kenya Donaldson, president of the Guilford County Association of Educators