Wake County teachers protest proposed special-ed cuts. Will it make a difference?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Protesters demand reversal after Wake County proposes $18M special-education cut.
- District plans to eliminate 130 teachers and two programs.
- Superintendent will seek $25M from county while proposing targeted cuts.
Teachers and parents protested across Wake County Thursday morning against special education cuts that would lead to the elimination of 130 teaching positions.
The Wake County school system plans to cut $18 million from the special education budget next school year, cut a program that helps kindergarten students and phase out a program serving middle school students. Protesters said the cuts will only hurt the school district’s most vulnerable children.
“We need to protect our positions for special ed teachers and our CCK (cross categorical kindergarten) programs and invest in special education and give our children the support they deserve,” Tennille Simms-Thompson, a special-education teacher at Fuquay-Varina Elementary School, said during Thursday’s protest.
Wake’s special education cuts
In December, the school district told schools they plan to eliminate the CCK program and phase out the Middle School Essentials Program.
CCK classes serve a group of special education kindergarten students to determine whether they should get general education or special education courses moving forward.
The Middle School Essentials program offers small classes for special education students to help them meet their math and language arts goals.
But the biggest cut was announced on Tuesday when the district said it will eliminate 130 cross-categorical resource teaching positions as part of an $18 million cut to the district’s $2.3 billion operating budget. These teachers support special-needs students both in general education and in special education classrooms.
Wake says the cuts are needed due to the growing expense of providing special education services. The cuts are tricky because special education students have individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that are part of federal law meant to ensure they get a free and appropriate public education.
“Students will continue to receive all services outlined in their IEPs,” the district said in a statement. “Those supports are legally required and were a central consideration in every decision made.
“We remain committed to supporting students, families and staff through this transition and will continue to provide resources and training to help schools meet student needs effectively.”
Wake NCAE organizes protests against cuts
The message from Thursday’s protests was that the cuts are unacceptable. The protests were organized by the Wake County chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators, which wants Wake to increase special education funding.
“We have to fight this,” Jane Miller, the librarian at Fuquay-Varina Elementary, said during the protest. “We have no choice. No one is coming to save us. We’re going to save ourselves.”
Around 40 people marched around Fuquay-Varina Elementary as parents dropped their children off Thursday before classes started.
Wake NCAE wants Superintendent Robert Taylor to eliminate the cuts from the budget he’ll propose to the school board on April 7. Taylor says he plans to ask the Wake County Board of Commissioners for an increase of around $25 million while making budget reductions in areas such as in special education.
Taylor has cited the limited amount of new revenue the county has this year. According to county budget staff, they’re only anticipating a net increase in property tax revenue of $7.8 million next fiscal year unless taxes are raised.
“Our goal will be to submit to the commissioners what we believe is an appropriate ask based on what we know their ability to give is,” Taylor told the school board on Tuesday.
The school board will consider whether to make changes before sending the district’s budget request to commissioners in May.
“Our kids are suffering.,” Miller said in an interview. “Our money speaks to our priorities and what we care about, and I think taxpayers care about this. Eighteen million is a small amount, and it would make all the difference in the world to our students.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 11:26 AM.
