Moral Monday Protest!

On Monday, July 29th, myself along with some fellow teachers attended the Moral Monday protest in Raleigh North Carolina. For those of you who do not live in N.C. or are not sure on the legislation that is currently happening in this state with education, let me give you a brief synopsis of what is going on and why we went to protest.
In the 2007-2008 school year, North Carolina teachers were ranked 25th in the nation for teacher salary. Though this is not the top dollar in the nation, half way is not bad. However, in the past 5 years, things have taken a turn for the worse, much worse. This past school year, North Carolina teachers were ranked 48th in the nation for pay and it seems as though we may hit 51st this school year, very dead last.  Just recently, a bill was proposed to both the house and senate and in a nutshell this is what the bill included:

1. No raises for teachers. However, Governor Pat McCrory graciously gave his cabinet members an eight percent raise in which they were already making 128,000 dollars a year!

2. Eliminate teacher tenure.

3. Eliminate the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. This program was ranked number 1 in the nation for recruiting teachers. I was a NC teaching fellow and eliminating this program is one of the biggest mistakes the NC legislature could make!

4. Eliminate the 10% raise for obtaining a master's degree.

5.Cut teacher assistants and teaching positions.  Hey, why not add more kids to a classroom and get rid of the extra help?

6. Cut funding for text books and other supplies.  Being that us teachers make so much money, we have plenty of it to go around to buy things for our classrooms!

7. Retired Educators will not receive cost of living adjustments. Hey, we have eaten Beenie Weenies and Ramen for years, why stop now?

There were a few more points stated in the bill, but these were the major components.  This bill passed in both the house and senate so now our only hope is that Pat McCrory Veto this bill.  So, in order to make our voices heard, hundreds of educators, parents, and friends gathered on Halifax Mall to stand up for education! With that said, I do want to make one last point about everything that is happening and let people understand why us educators are taking a stand.  I feel like legislatures and other people looking in feel that us teachers are complaining because we want more money and want our jobs protected.  I know some people feel that teachers should not have tenure being that in what other profession does that even exist? I agree.   This protest for me was not about keeping tenure or getting a pay raise, it was about earning respect and showing people I love my job.  The truth is, I could eat Ramen and Beenie Weenies the rest of my life if need be, however, even those items do go up in price.
The reason I need the raise and the master's pay is because both my husband and I struggle now to pay our bills. On a monthly basis, we pay everything including car payments, student loans, mortgage, power, phone bill, etc.  After all is paid, we really have no money left to do anything else.  I am ok with that now but one day I would love to start a family and with what I bring home, I absolutely could not afford another mouth to feed or day care for that matter.  Us educators, do not do this for the money or for the fame.  However, we do need money to pay our bills and we need raises to keep up with cost of living adjustments.  Also, I know that this summer I easily spent 400 dollars of my own money to buy things for my classroom because I was only given 200 dollars in which I had to purchase my own paper for copies, glue sticks, and scissors.  I am not asking to be handed any favors and I am not asking to be paid six figures, I just want to be respected and shown a little bit of gratitude every now and then and unfortunately the passing of this bill does just the opposite.  I just want to be able to live comfortably and do my job well and if things do not change, teaching in North Carolina may not be in my near future. Not from choice, but from necessity.

With that said, here are some pictures from our adventure in Raleigh!

This was Beth and I in the "beetlejuice" car. When we arrived in Raleigh, the parking attendant was fantastic and let us sit in his vehicle!

Holding our signs before the march!

The legislative building where nothing good seems to happen!

Mom, Kelly, Beth, and I on Halifax Mall!

I loved this sign that a guy had made!!! People are so creative!

Bethany Girls Holding up our signs!