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Charlotte Talks: Teacher Protest Wave Hits NC

Courtney Mason in her classroom at Piney Grove Elementary.
Lisa Worf
/
WFAE
Courtney Mason in her classroom at Piney Grove Elementary.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Teachers are headed to Raleigh to march for better pay and respect. The head of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg teachers lobby and a top education budget writer join Mike Collins.

What began with a teachers strike in West Virginia has turned into a protest movement that’s now reached North Carolina.

Thousands of public educators are set to descend on Raleigh Wednesday, the same day lawmakers return to begin the General Assembly’s short session. Better pay and increased school funding are at the top of their list of wants.

Teacher salaries recently topped $50,000 for the first time, and Republican legislative leaders are quick to point out the pay bumps they’ve delivered in recent state budgets. But a recent snapshot of teacher pay put the state in 37th place nationally, and 39th place for per-pupil spending.

Can teachers and lawmakers find common ground? Why are teachers across the country now hitting the streets and, in some cases, the picket lines?

GUESTS

Erlene Lyde, president, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators

Rep. Craig Horn, North Carolina House District 68-Republican, Union County; chairman of House Education Appropriations Committee (@DCraigHorn)

Michael Hansen, director, The Brookings Institution's Brown Center on Education Policy (@DrMikeHansen)

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