Jason R. King: Cutting to teachers’ core

I have received political flyers from Sen. Chad Barefoot touting his “support” of teachers. The reality is that as a father of two who teaches and loves it, I must make every reasonable effort to support my family.

I taught in Franklin County the first decade of my career. As I felt inflation and the cost of living rise, I saw my wages artificially stagnated by the General Assembly. I was forced to make a heart-rending decision: either completely leave the career that I love or leave my home – Franklin County – and seek employment as a teacher in Wake County, which can afford to supplement my income to the point where I can make ends meet for my family instead of subsisting at the barest margins of the middle class. This was the hardest career decision I have ever made, as I know the needs of my rural county.

Ultimately, Barefoot and the legislation he continued to support made me choose between serving my community or my own children. That choice cut me to the bones of my soul. Every time I receive one of his flyers, I am reminded that hypocrisy is my least favorite form of irony.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Jason R. King: Cutting to teachers’ core."