Last May over 20,000 public school employees and supporters wore “Red for Ed” and marched in Raleigh to educate our state’s legislators about NC’s public education needs. This year, the same effort is happening on May 1st.
At Parents for Public Schools, we always encourage our members to be informed about educational issues, but we also stress that what position you take on issues is completely up to you. Our goal is to ensure that you have the tools you need to make the most informed choice possible. As May 1st approaches, PPS-PC will highlight various ways that parents and community members can be supportive of public education in NC, no matter what position you take on the march in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Association of Educators is encouraging public education supporters to unify around five issues:
- increased funding for school mental health professionals
- increased minimum wage for all school employees and retirees
- Medicaid expansion for all NC citizens – which includes students and their families
- reinstating retiree health benefits, and
- restoring higher pay for teachers with advanced degrees
To support public education during this time, you can
- Contact your elected representatives (we’ll have numerous Facebook posts with information about how) to express your feelings about the issues listed above, or educational issues of your own choosing.
- Gather a group of friends and pack snack bags for teachers who end up taking the day off to travel to Raleigh.
- Offer to volunteer in your child’s school to provide extra coverage while some teachers are out for the day. And
If schools are closed on May 1, you could
- Offer to invite a friend’s child to spend the day with you so their parent can work (if you have the option to stay at home that day)
- Organize a snack packing drive to pack nutritious snacks to send home the day before with people who need them.
- Join teachers, social workers, and other public education supporters and travel to Raleigh to march with them.
- Work with your faith community or other civic organization to provide one day of childcare for a few children who’s parents are not able to take off work.
Thank you for your steadfast support of public education. Please follow us on Facebook as we continue to share ways that you can help strengthen public education in our county and ultimately, our state.
