Opinion Roundup: Teachers' Rally 2019, Charlotte shooting nightmare, amendments case and more

Thursday, May 2, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Thousands of educators march in Raleigh, school safety at forefront of teacher rally after shooting, UNC Charlotte student slain while saving lives, state worker pay raises delayed, Republican seen as Democrat tool loses bid for GOP data and more.

KELLY HINCHCLIFFE, NATALIE MATTHEWS & DEBORAH STRANGE: Public school teachers, support staff rally in Raleigh for additional funding, support (WRAL-TV reports) -- Wednesday's rally for public education in downtown Raleigh may have looked a lot like a rally held last year, but, NCAE President Mark Jewell said, the group had five new priorities and was joined by school personnel from administrators to assistants to school psychologists.

LISA PHILIP: Thousands Of Educators Demonstrate For Greater Investment In Public Schools (WUNC-FM reports) -- Thousands of educators and their supporters from across North Carolina are filling the streets of downtown Raleigh today to demand greater financial investment in public schools from the state legislature. The demonstration comes two days after the House revealed its draft budget for the state, which does not meet most of the marchers' demands. Demonstrators today held signs with messages for lawmakers, including "They say cut back, we say fight back," and "Don't make me use my teacher voice.”.

MICHAEL BRAGG: Thousands of educators march in Raleigh (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- For the second year in a row, dozens of school systems across North Carolina canceled classes for a day as thousands of educators took to the streets in the state’s capital rallying for education.

Cumberland County teachers rally in Raleigh (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- RALEIGH — North Carolina’s public school teachers and their supporters showed up in force Wednesday to demand an overhaul of the state’s education priorities, bringing thousands to a march and rally in the state’s capital. Hundreds of Cumberland County teachers, staffers and retirees were among them.

For 2nd year in a row, local teachers rally in Raleigh (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Wilmington-area teachers joined thousands of others for a Day of Action.

MORIAH BALINGIT: On May Day, Carolinas teachers leave classroom to rally for more school funding (Washington Post reports) -- Thousands of teachers in the Carolinas left their classrooms Wednesday and headed to their state capitols to pressure lawmakers to invest more in education, joining the swell of teacher activism that has swept the country since last year.

AMANDA MORRIS & GARY ROBERTSON: School safety at forefront of teacher rally after shooting (AP reports) -- North Carolina's public school teachers and their supporters showed up in force Wednesday to demand an overhaul of the state's education priorities, bringing thousands to a march and rally in the state's capital.

ALEX GRANADOS, GREG ASCIUTTO, ANALISA SORRELLS, ROBEN FOFARIA & ROBERT KINLAW: Teachers descend on downtown Raleigh (EdNC reports) -- Teachers marched on downtown Raleigh with a list of demands, including more school support staff, better pay for all school employees — and a $15 minimum wage for all school personnel — Medicaid expansion, restoration of state retiree health benefits for teachers hired after 2021, and a restoration of master's pay for teachers.

KELLY HINCHCLIFFE: State employee rallies alongside teachers, tells lawmakers 'Don't forget about us' (WRAL-TV reports) -- As thousands of teachers rallied outside the General Assembly on Wednesday, Jason Gill roamed the halls of the legislative building, hoping lawmakers would spot his sign. Dressed in a purple T-shirt, differing from the sea of teachers in red, Gill had a simple message for lawmakers: Don't forget about state employees. We deserve raises, too.

School support employees join teachers for rally in Raleigh (WRAL-TV reports) -- Wednesday's rally for public education in downtown Raleigh may have looked a lot like a rally held last year, but, NCAE President Mark Jewell said, the group had five new priorities and was joined by school personnel from administrators to assistants to school psychologists.

Teacher rally: Education advocates speak out (WRAL-TV reports) -- Thousands of educators descended on downtown Raleigh on May 1, 2019, to march to the State Capitol and lobby lawmakers for more education funding.

Speeches: From $12/hour teacher assistant to Gov. Cooper, getting teachers fired up for unity, support (WRAL-TV reports) -- Educators, school staff, administrators and politicians spoke about the priorities for investing in public education.

Memorable signs from downtown Raleigh teacher rally (WRAL-TV reports) -- Educators and supporters put their creative abilities to use by creating signs and posters for the downtown Raleigh teacher rally.

Educators gather in downtown Raleigh for teacher rally (WRAL-TV reports) -- The May 1 rally, organized by the N.C. Association of Educators, is bringing thousands of teachers, support staff and education advocates to the capital to urge lawmakers to increase funding for public education.

ZACH GOINS: To teach or to truck? It's about more than just money (WRAL-TV reports) -- In 10 years, the average North Carolina teacher has the chance to affect more than 200 students - shaping their lives and impacting them in more ways than can be graded on a report card. But spending 10 years as a teacher doesn't guarantee financial stability.

AMBER REVELS-STOCKS: Pitt educators rally for more resources at Raleigh march (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- Concerns about class size and the lack of resources were among the reasons Pitt County teachers, staff members and supporters headed to Raleigh on Wednesday to take part in the “Rally for Respect.”

Educators rally at Historic Courthouse for better pay, funding (Hendersonville Times-News reports) -- Around 100 education supporters gathered at the Historic Courthouse in Hendersonville Wednesday evening to back the thousands who marched in Raleigh earlier in the day, demanding that state lawmakers increase funding for public education and Medicaid.

GREG ASCIUTTO: A cry becomes a howl: The rally through the eyes of a teacher-journalist (EdNC reports) -- A small, green ribbon, pinned to the shirt of NCAE President Mark Jewell as he addressed the thousands preparing to march toward the NC General Assembly, dominated its red backdrop Wednesday morning in downtown Raleigh.

It’s our turn, Charlotte, to live the mass shooting nightmare (Charlotte Observer) -- It’s our turn, Charlotte, to live the nightmare. It’s our turn to see the breaking news email about gunfire, to feel the notification buzz on our phone, to be jolted that our city is included in the next words we read. It’s our turn to watch aerial footage of places we’ve walked, to watch video loops of cautious police leading students we might know. It’s our turn to pray that we don’t know the victims or shooter, then to pray for those who do. It’s our turn to see tweets from our public officials who are “shocked and saddened,” from our governor who is en route to the scene, from our members of Congress who are “monitoring the situation.”

TOM FOREMAN & SARAH BLAKE MORGAN: Student tackled campus gunman, slain while saving lives (AP reports) -- A North Carolina college student tackled a gunman who opened fire in his classroom, saving others' lives but losing his own in the process, police said Wednesday.

TOM FOREMAN & JEFFREY COLLINS: Student who tackled gunman called a hero (AP reports) -- David Belnap stood on the UNC Charlotte college campus aching from the latest U.S. school shooting as he held a candle and wore a homemade T-shirt with "Riley Howell is a hero" written on the back.

JODIE VALADE, SUSAN SVRLUGA & NICK ANDERSON: ‘His sacrifice saved lives’: UNC-Charlotte shooting victim tackled the gunman (Washington Post reports) -- Facing a gunman in his classroom, Riley Howell chose to fight. Authorities said Wednesday that the 21-year-old student at the University of North Carolina’s campus here knocked the assailant off his feet at a pivotal moment in Tuesday’s shooting, saving the lives of others even as Howell himself received a mortal wound. Kerr Putney, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, described Howell as “the first and foremost hero” in an incident that left two dead and four injured but could have turned out far worse.

DAVID PERLMUTT & JULIE TURKEWITZ: U.N.C. Charlotte Student Couldn’t Run, So He Tackled the Gunman (New York Times reports) -- In an alert that flashed across computer and phone screens all over campus, the instructions were spare but urgent: “Run, Hide, Fight. Secure yourself immediately.” But Riley Howell could neither run nor hide. The gunman was in his classroom. So, the authorities said, he charged at the gunman, who had already fired several rounds, and pinned him down until police officers arrived.

RUSS BYNUM & EMERY DALESIO: Athletic outdoorsman, tech enthusiast killed in NC classroom (AP reports) -- Riley Howell had an athlete's physique and loved working outdoors on his family's farm. Ellis Parlier studied computer technology and liked video games.

KEN SMITH: Columbine survivor says UNCC students will face 'daily choice' to turn away from fear (WRAL-TV reports) -- While many people can sympathize with the horror of a mass shooting, few know first-hand what the victims of the shooting on the UNC Charlotte campus are going through.

Latest shooting attacks show how the U.S. stands apart from the world (Washington Post) -- “HE JUST started shooting during our final presentations and we all ran out. We were just doing presentations and someone started shooting up the room. . . . Why here? Why today? Why UNC Charlotte? Why my classroom? What did we do?” That was the frantic tweet of a student at the scene of Tuesday’s mass shooting in North Carolina, in which two students — 19-year-old Ellis Parlier and 21-year-old Riley Howell — were killed.

SCOTT SEXTON: Run. Hide. Fight. Is that all we can tell our kids? (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- I was arguing Tuesday afternoon with my son about something dumb when he changed the subject abruptly. “Sorry total side note,” he texted before forwarding a message from UNC Charlotte that he’d just received. “NinerAlert: Shots reported near kennedy. Run, Hide, Fight. Secure yourself immediately. Monitor e-mail and emergency.uncc.edu.”

MATTHEW BURNS: SHORTCHANGED? House budget ‘delays’ raises six months because of fund 'availability' (WRAL-TV reports) -- Raises for teachers and state workers won't kick in until next year under the House's proposed 2019-20 state budget because the state doesn't have enough money to pay for them just yet.

COLIN CAMPBELL: Teacher, state worker pay raises delayed (The Insider reports) -- Teachers and state employees typically see their raises kick in starting in July of a new fiscal year, but this year, many of them will have to wait until Jan. 1 to get the boost in their paycheck. That's how the raises would be structured under the House budget bill -- a change from previous years that's prompting outcry from the State Employees Association of North Carolina.

GARY ROBERTSON: Teacher pay details in OK'd House budget fully revealed (AP reports) -- The government spending plan proposed by House Republicans advanced on Wednesday, clearing the chamber's budget-writing committee after several hours of debate and dozens of proposed amendments.

House state budget ready for vote (AP reports) -- Fashioning a government budget for the next two years takes a big step forward with the full House ready to consider a proposal.

LAUREN HORSCH: Lounge is the critical need GOP leadership had for legislative press room (The Insider reports) -- A photo obtained by the Insider appears to show a new lounge replacing the old press room in the Legislative Building. It's unclear who the lounge would be for.

LAUREN HORSCH: Davis Targeted (The Insider reports) -- After voting to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of Senate Bill 359 -- the born-alive abortion survivors bill -- Sen. Don Davis, D-Greene, has become a target from within his own party. One day after his vote, dark money group N.C. Strong published a website with the address "disloyaldems.com" highlighting Davis' vote. So far he is the only Democrat on the website. Also on Wednesday, several liberal groups including Lillian's List, Planned Parenthood and Advance Carolina, announced they will be recruiting a primary challenger for Davis in the 2020 election.

KIRK ROSS: Senate Mulls Fisheries, Shellfish Overhauls (Coastal Review reports) -- Bills introduced by Sen. Norm Sanderson would create a new shellfish leasing program and extensive changes to the state’s marine fisheries oversight

COLIN CAMPBELL: Newest legislator (The Insider reports) -- The newest member of the N.C. House was sworn in Wednesday to replace former Rep. Ken Goodman, R-Richmond, who resigned recently to join the Industrial Commission. On the recommendation of local Democratic leaders in District 66 (Montgomery, Richmond and parts of Stanly counties), Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed Scott Brewer, a recently retired chief District Court judge.

ANEXANDRA SIROTA: Work requirements, premiums won't close coverage gap (Greenville Daily Reflector column) -- North Carolina’s dubious ranking of having the 10th highest rate of uninsured people in the nation continues to play out across the state in ways that challenge our collective well-being and community stability, even as it leads to worse health outcomes and diminished livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of our neighbors. The reality is that the coverage gap affects us all. When large segments of the population are unable to get the care they need and institutions are left without a sound financing model for delivering health care, we are all worse off.

Republican seen as Democrat tool loses bid for GOP data (AP reports) -- A state judge says there's little likelihood that a candidate for the Republican nomination in a still-vacant N.C. congressional seat will succeed in suing the GOP for access to internal party data and debate stages. Candidate Chris Anglin of Raleigh said Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway decided he won't order the state Republican Party to treat Anglin the same as nine other GOP candidates in the 9th Congressional District field.

PAUL SPECHT: Rushing is right: Half of 9th District Republicans don't live in the district (THE NC FACT-CHECKING PROJECT) -- There are 10 candidates seeking the Republican nomination in the 9th Congressional District. Five live outside the district.

NAACP wants NC Supreme Court to hear amendments case (AP reports) -- A civil rights organization wants North Carolina's highest court to step in and settle a legal fight over whether two constitutional amendments approved by voters last year should have been voided by a lower court.

TRAVIS FAIN: Head of NC employee retirement funds let go (WRAL-TV reports) -- State treasurer decides "we need a change in direction."

EDUCATION

RUPEN FOFARIA: State Board of Education holds Spring planning and work meetings (EdNC reports) -- The State Board of Education met for planning and work sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, amid the backdrop of a teacher’s rally in its backyard and a school shooting at UNC-Charlotte just a few hours South.

LIZ BELL: Data cards show child well-being geographic disparities (EdNC reports) --NC Child’s 2019 data cards provide snapshots on the state of health, education, and community well-being for NC and for each of its 100 counties — centered around the child’s experience. That experience is quite different depending on where the child grows up. 

JANINE BOWEN: Six students, administrator diagnosed with whooping cough at Chapel Hill elementary school (WRAL reports) -- Six students and one faculty member at Glenwood Elementary School have been diagnosed with whooping cough, according to a spokesperson for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

GILBERT BAEZ: Some Hurricane Matthew victims finally seeing relief funds (WRAL-TV reports) -- Nearly three years after Hurricane Matthew ripped through North Carolina, some homeowners are finally getting financial relief.

JANIN BOWEN: Money, hurricane recovery force Camp Lejeune to scale back July 4th celebration (WRAL-TV reports) -- Camp Lejeune's Fourth of July celebration will not be open to the public this year after Hurricane Florence recovery and financial challenges forced organizers to scale down the event.