Raleigh teachers' rally: Who, where, when, why
Thousands of North Carolina teachers are expected to march through downtown Raleigh on Wednesday, hold a rally at the state Capitol and lobby lawmakers for increased funding for education. Here's what it's all about:
Who is marching?
Up to 15,000 teachers from more than three dozen school systems in the state.
Where are they marching?
The march is scheduled to begin from the NCAE Headquarters, 700 S. Salisbury St. at about 10 a.m. Participants will stick to the sidewalks to proceed up Fayetteville Street to the State Capitol Building and down Bicentennial Plaza to the Legislative Building. The walk is expected to take about 30 minutes.
In the afternoon, teachers and supporters will gather outside the Legislative Building to rally from about 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Won't that kind of crowd cause a traffic hassle?
The organizations that run Raleigh's downtown parking garages and police its streets are not planning anything special to accommodate teachers.
There are no plans for street closures or detours. Parking will be as usual: First-come, first-serve, pay-to-park.
Those who work or drive in downtown Raleigh cane expect general traffic congestion and limited parking availability from about 9 a.m. through the late afternoon rally.
Construction projects along Wilmington Street between Lenoir and Cabarrus will continue to limit traffic lanes and could add to any congestion delays.
What will the weather be like?
The pattern of showers, thunderstorm and humidity is here to stay through the end of the week.
"You will want the rain gear," WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said. "It could be raining at any point throughout the day."
Teachers will gather at NCAE headquarters to march to the legislative building in the morning, then will rally on Bicentennial Plaza, between the history and science museums, from about 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Neither of those time windows will be more rainy or dry than the other, Fishel said.
Why are they marching?
{
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}On Monday, NCAE President Mark Jewell outlined the specific expectations that educators have of North Carolina’s elected legislators:
- Per-pupil spending to the national average in four years
- A multi-year professional compensation and benefits plan for all educators that includes:
- Ending experienced educator pay discrimination
- Average teacher pay to national average in four years
- Significant and livable raises for all public school employees
- Restoring advanced degree pay
- Restoring longevity pay
- Annual cost-of-living increase
- Enhanced and protected health insurance and pension
- Ending pay for performance based on test scores, including for administrators
- Reinstating career status
- Real dedicated planning time and lunch time
- Investing in the health and well-being of our students and making schools safer including:
- At least 500 additional school nurses, social workers, and counselors this year
- Improve health options for our most vulnerable students by expanding Medicaid
- Fix our crumbling schools and large class sizes with a $1.9 billion statewide school construction bond
- No corporate tax cuts until per-pupil spending and teacher pay reach the national average
Many schools are closed. So is this a strike?
Some state politicians have said the action certainly resembles union activity, but teachers are not allowed to form unions in North Carolina. The education association emphasizes that the teachers taking part in the protest have gone through proper channels to request the day off. The school districts have decided to close because so many teachers have taken the day off that schools cannot be staffed. So critics tend to refer to the day as a strike or walkout while supports are more likely to call it a rally or protest.
What time is this all happening?
The teachers are planning to gather at the NCAE headquarters on South Salisbury Street at 10 a.m. The march to the Capitol is supposed to begin at 10:30 a.m. From roughly 11 a.m. till 3 p.m., teachers plan to lobby lawmakers, who are gathering for opening day of the General Assembly session, which begins at noon.
The teachers plan to end the day with a 3:30 p.m. rally in Bicentennial Plaza, which is scheduled to wrap up around 4:30.
What about the kids who qualify for meals at school?
More than half of public school students in North Carolina qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches. Many of the school districts that are closing are making plans to provide meals even though classes won't be held. Wake County Public Schools is planning to provide meals at 34 schools, Durham at 16 and Chapel Hill-Carrboro at three. Check with your school district for details on where meals will be offered.
Where can working parents turn for childcare?
Local organizations are offering up child care options for parents who are scrambling as North Carolina schools close May 16 so teachers can attend a rally in downtown Raleigh.
Raleigh parks department will host day camps from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The cost is $30 for city residents and $45 for non-city residents. The locations are at Lake Lynn, Barwell Road, Laurel Hills and Peach Road community centers.
The YMCA of the Triangle also announced special day camps at locations across the Triangle. The cost will be $25 for the day, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Space is limited.
Museums, including Kidzu in Chapel Hill and Marbles in downtown Raleigh, are offering day-long events that include lunch.
Go Ask Mom has a running list of options across the Triangle, and the Go Ask Mom camp database offers details for day-camp and track-out options throughout the year.
