Raleigh News & Observer Logo

Was the NC teacher rally really warranted? | Raleigh News & Observer

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • Support
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Sponsorships
    • Stay connected
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Social Media Directory
    • N&O Store
    • Buy Photos
    • Databases
    • Archives
    • Newsletters

    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Health
    • Local
    • North Carolina
    • Nation/World
    • Science
    • Thumbs Up
    • Traffic
    • Weather
    • Weird News
    • All News
    • Counties
    • Durham County
    • Johnston County
    • Orange County
    • Wake County
    • All Sports
    • Baseball
    • Canes
    • College
    • Columns & Blogs
    • High Schools
    • NASCAR & Auto Racing
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Panthers
    • Soccer
    • Schools
    • Duke
    • East Carolina
    • NC State
    • North Carolina
    • All Politics
    • The North Carolina Influencer Series
    • State Politics
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • PolitiFact
    • PolitiFact NC
    • Rob Christensen
    • Under the Dome
    • All Business
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Health Care
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Shop Talk
    • Stocks Center
    • Technology
    • All Living
    • Video Now
    • Best-Kept Secrets
    • Blogs
    • Celebrations
    • Comics
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Games and Puzzles
    • Home and Garden
    • Horoscopes
    • Mouthful
    • Past Times
    • Pets
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Video Now
    • Arts News
    • ArtsNow
    • Books
    • Contests
    • Dining
    • Entertainment
    • Games
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Television
    • On the Beat
    • Happiness is a Warm TV
    • All Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Dwane Powell
    • Editorials
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Letters
    • Opinion Shop Blog
    • Other Views
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

    • Advertise with us
    • Place Ad
    • Apartments
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Jobs
    • Legals
    • Obits/In Memoriams
    • Weddings
    • Today's Daily Deal
    • Special Sections
    • Today's Circulars
    • Rewards
    • Photo Store
  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Legals

Letters to the Editor

Was the NC teacher rally really warranted?

Better pay needed

The only thing behind the educators marching in Raleigh on Wednesday is the desire to have good teachers and well-funded schools to provide high-quality public education to young people.

Here is why it is so important to increase teacher pay: Higher salaries make the teaching profession more attractive to bright young people deciding which career to pursue. We want smart, talented people to become and remain teachers because competent, creative educators improve student learning. When teacher pay is low and schools are underfunded, people with a lot of options will choose other professions where they know their skills will be compensated at a higher rate.

For example, my daughter’s first grade teacher is excellent, but she’s quitting teaching after this year for a higher paying job. People who are good at teaching are going to be good at a lot of careers. So teacher salaries need to be competitive in order to attract and retain quality teachers.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Having well-paid teachers and well-funded schools is the key to having well-educated citizens, which in turn improves the economy, lowers crime rates and keeps our democracy vibrant.

Sera Arcaro

Cary

GOP at fault?

As would be expected, Democrats are attacking the GOP for their perceived underfunding of education. It seems to me that the Democrats controlled the legislature for many years prior to the Republicans gaining control.

During the Democrats’ control during the recession, teacher pay declined. Since the GOP gained control, their pay has significantly improved. So why this anti-GOP political rally? Simply the desire to unseat the GOP in the next election.

Also, how can any sane individual claim that education is underfunded when the U.S. spending per student is among the highest in the industrialized world, yet our students lag behind many other countries in achievement?

So how many more thousands of dollars per student is required to raise student performance? I suggest the fault really lies with parents, not money.

James Bullock

Wake Forest

Prevent teacher loss

I can only hope that the teacher protest on Wednesday causes the General Assembly to take the funding of public education seriously, and corrects the obvious inequities in the system.

My daughter has taught string instruments in the public schools of Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Walking into her newly-assigned classroom, she discovered that the only equipment there were a few beat-up music stands. Out of her own pocket, she bought herself a used desk, the remaining music stands that were necessary, and sheet music for the class library. She also spent her own money refurbishing some of the class’s instruments. This cost her and her husband several hundred dollars.

My daughter is hardly alone in caring for her students’ education. Many teachers do this. Eventually, she became so fed up with the lack of public funding, unending legislature-mandated testing and burden of paperwork that she left the public schools, and started her own studio. She now teaches 70-odd students privately, and has vastly increased her income, as well as her professional satisfaction. The public schools lost an extremely qualified teacher.

Best wishes for the success of the teachers’ protest. Let’s help prevent the loss of great teachers.

Ken Caudell

Durham

Not ‘thugs’

As a retired NC educator, I take great offense at Rep. Mark Brody’s characterization of the teacher’s march organizers as ‘thugs’ and in so doing, casting those who attended as undesirables instead of the decent, law-abiding citizens that we are.

With NC ranked 37th in teacher pay 39th in per-pupil funding, he has a lot of nerve trying to undermine the efforts of hardworking, dedicated teachers to make their voices heard.

I hope Brody and his colleague Tim Moore took a close look at the faces of the thousands who attended and discovered that they are anything but thugs. Indeed, they are men and women who plan to vote this November for change.

Frances Fincher

Newton

Legislature ‘not worthy’

Children are the hope of a nation’s future. They guarantee that a nation will have a future. Their education is the source of that guarantee.

A legislature which does not adequately fund education in the city, the district, the state or the nation which it has been elected to serve is failing in its obligations and is not worthy of its calling.

William Ilgen

Chapel Hill

Help substitutes

How enlightening to see teachers rally for public education. Public school teachers and administrators are trying desparately to hold our eroding educational system together in spite of all the obstacles they face. I too, am an educator with an advanced degree and work as a substitute teacher. I have seen and experienced it all.

There are outdated, torn textbooks; too many pupils in classes; lack of support staff and much more. I’m all for raising teacher salaries. I have written to the Wake County officials regarding substitute salary. For someone with an advanced teaching degree, we receive $106/8 hour day or $13.25 per hour. I was shocked upon hearing a report that the average salary for a babysitter in Wake County was $15/hour.

If you think we just babysit, you are sorely mistaken. We teach an average of 200 students per day. We rarely get a teachers’ planning period off because we are assigned to cover other classes. We have lunch and hall duty as well. I was told on, on two occasions, the county would look into this. It’s now another year and still no action. Subs need help too.

Judy Martino

Apex

  Comments  

Videos

Zion’s shoe blowout, explained by reporter Josh Shaffer

Syracuse coach Boeheim hits, kills man on New York highway

View More Video

Trending Stories

John Harris warned his father about legal red flags involving Bladen operative

February 20, 2019 02:13 PM

Three observations from No. 8 North Carolina’s 88-72 road win over No. 1 Duke

February 21, 2019 02:18 AM

Transgender woman has asked to be moved from a men’s prison. So far, NC has said no.

February 20, 2019 01:42 PM

Zion Williamson injured as No. 1 Duke falls to No. 8 UNC

February 20, 2019 11:11 PM

Zion Williamson injured during Duke-UNC game after foot blows through shoe

February 20, 2019 09:53 PM

Read Next

0222/Letters: Tainted election will follow Harris

Opinion

0222/Letters: Tainted election will follow Harris

By Staff

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 21, 2019 07:46 PM

Tainted election

Unless there is a new election, I cannot understand why Mark Harris would want to serve as congressman for the 9th District, considering the voting irregularities.

Harris is a Baptist minister. Isn’t it important to him to be above reproach?

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

2/20 Letters: Sen. Tillis, protect our coast.

Opinion

2/20 Letters: Sen. Tillis, protect our coast.

February 19, 2019 06:15 PM

Opinion

2/19 Letters: NC lawmakers step up for fair elections

February 19, 2019 12:00 AM
2/18 Letters: This isn’t the national emergency we should be worrying about.

Opinion

2/18 Letters: This isn’t the national emergency we should be worrying about.

February 17, 2019 12:00 AM
2/17 Letters: Protests will continue at Confederate events

Letters to the Editor

2/17 Letters: Protests will continue at Confederate events

February 16, 2019 12:00 AM
2/15 Letters: As Durham taxes rise, GOP is silent

Opinion

2/15 Letters: As Durham taxes rise, GOP is silent

February 14, 2019 07:16 PM
2/14 letters: Rep. Walter Jones was a leader for peace

Opinion

2/14 letters: Rep. Walter Jones was a leader for peace

February 13, 2019 07:54 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Raleigh News & Observer App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Triangletoday.com
  • Legal Notices
Advertising
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Our Ads
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • N&O Store
  • N&O Photos
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Report News
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use


Back to Story