Page McCullough: What students deserve

Regarding the July 12 letter “Publicity stunt ignores education gains”: Catherine Truitt, Gov. Pat McCrory’s education adviser, seemed to misunderstand the goals of the brave school workers who marched and sat down for the needs of their students. As she tried to defend McCrory’s support of teachers, she has clearly missed that they were after the #schoolsstudentsdeserve, not #raiseswethinkwedeserve.

These veterans of N.C. classrooms know that our schools have fewer adults in classrooms so children don’t get the individual attention they need. Counselors, instructional assistants, janitors, nurses and social workers have been slashed.

Teachers cope with fewer textbooks, digital resources and science supplies. And they witness the hardship families face as they cannot access health care, find safe affordable housing and work one living wage job.

These school workers wanted to discuss raising per pupil spending and expanding Medicaid as a way to begin meeting the needs of their students. It was a straightforward, sincere request.

The doors to the old Capitol were locked when school workers and supporters arrived at 4:45, and no one came out to meet. Is the governor really that afraid of talking to people who love and fight for our children every day?

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Page McCullough: What students deserve."