Kelli Hunnicutt: Deplorable conditions for teachers

I was quite surprised to read the outrageous Aug. 20 Point of View “This is a Republican war on education?” My surprise was that you chose to publish such a fine piece of fiction.

As the mother of a North Carolina teacher, I can attest that working conditions for teachers are deplorable in this state, and that our once proud public educational system has significantly declined under the Republican leadership.

Though inaccuracies and outright fables abound within the piece, in particular, I take issue with the statement defending decreased spending for additional staff, as if it were wasteful.

For the last two years, my daughter, a young teacher in Northampton County, taught and cared for first- and second-graders without a dedicated teacher aide, with close to 20 kids in her class, some of whom had special needs. Because the Republican-led legislature cut teacher aides from the budget, she was charged with a nearly impossible task. And care for them she did by using her own meager salary for basic classroom supplies.

Ask any teacher what Gov. Pat McCrory and the GOP have done for teaching. I believe they will find a person supporting Roy Cooper for governor.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Kelli Hunnicutt: Deplorable conditions for teachers."