Just google “teachers leaving NC” and await the headlines that stand at attention across your screen. There’s a bevy of adjectives to describe what’s happening here in North Carolina, what used to be the bastion of Southern progress. Sad. Disgraceful. Baffling. Maddening. Pathetic. Short-sighted. Deplorable. Misguided. The list goes on. Feel free to add your own words to describe this travesty in the comments.
North Carolina teachers are leaving the state (and often their beloved profession) in alarming numbers. While editorials and statistics and stories are published everyday, there is little effect in the legislature. I’ve written letters, marched in protests, and even met with legislators and their staff…to no avail. I brought photos of my sons to show them the faces of children who are hurt by the legislature’s denigration of education and educators. It’s not enough. They’re not listening.
My friend Liisa wants to give a face to just what we are losing and why. You might have seen her project in the news or through social media. If you are a teacher leaving the state or know of a teacher who has left, please email Liisa at liisaogburn@gmail.com with a photo and your story. She is curating personal stories to make this issue about people, not just data.
In case you want to see the stats, however, the News & Observer published on 4/21/14. Have a look. Prepare to be appalled. Then prepare to take action. Share Liisa’s project. Write letters. Email legislators. Talk to your friends, neighbors, colleagues. Campaign. Vote.
9,000—number of teachers in the Wake County schools, the largest school district in North Carolina (“Wake County sees ‘alarming’ increase in teacher resignations,” News & Observer, April 17, 2014)
612—number of teachers in Wake County that have resigned since the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year (Ibid)
433—number of teachers in Wake County schools that resigned during the same time period in the 2012-2013 school year (Ibid)
41—percentage increase in resignations of Wake County teachers from 2012-2013 to 2013-2014 (Ibid)
25—percentage of teachers that will have resigned from Underwood Elementary School in Raleigh by the end of the school year (Ibid)
20,000—amount in dollars less one teacher at Underwood Elementary School is earning this year than she made as a teacher in California 11 years ago (Ibid)
46—current rank of North Carolina among the 50 states in average teacher compensation (“Smart Money: Investing in education promotes student success,” N.C. Budget and Tax Center and the Education and Law Project of the N.C. Justice Center, November 2013)
22—rank of North Carolina among the 50 states in average teacher compensation in 2003-2004 (Ibid)
286.4 million—amount in dollars of the reduction in funding for classroom teachers by increasing student to teacher ratios in 2013-2014 North Carolina budget signed by Gov. McCrory (Ibid)
20—percentage of reduction in the number of teacher assistants funded in the 2013-2014 budget (Ibid)
68—amount in dollars of state funding per student for textbooks in 2007-2008 (Ibid)
15—amount in dollars of state funding per student for textbooks in 2013-2014 (Ibid)
563 million—amount in dollars less that the current budget spends on public schools than was spent in 2007-2008 adjusted for inflation (“2013-2015 budget shortchanges students, teachers, and public education,” N.C. Budget & Tax Center, August 2013)
653—amount in dollars less that the current budget spends per student on K-12 education than the 2007-2008 budget adjusted for inflation (“Smart Money: Investing in education promotes student success,” N.C. Budget and Tax Center and the Education and Law Project of the N.C. Justice Center, November 2013)
As we talk to our sons (ages 10 and 9) about what’s happening to educators in our state, they are flummoxed. At their tender ages they have known nothing but the power of strong teachers who inspire, nurture, love, and applaud them. My sons have been blessed with extraordinary teachers at the helm and they wonder aloud in the midst of our discussions, “Haven’t these legislators ever had a teacher who helped them and just ‘got them’ or had a teacher who helped them? They wouldn’t even be where they are without teachers in the first place.” What they say about the mouth of babes is true.
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