School districts across the state are bracing for the possibility of teachers calling out sick to protest school funding Friday, and some unions are asking teachers not to.
An anonymous social media post calls for teachers statewide to call out sick Friday and Monday to protest the lack of a state budget, no new raises and rising health insurance premiums. Some teachers say those amount to an effective pay cut.
But many chapters of the state’s teachers union are discouraging teachers from participating. That includes the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators.
Vice President Rae LeGrone said the union is concerned about the anonymous nature of the post, the lack of planning and the lack of a clear message.
“If we do something too quickly and the community doesn't know why, then we're going to lose community support, and that's really, you know, our schools are the backbone of our community and we're working together,” LeGrone told WFAE.
North Carolina educators have participated in organized work stoppages in the past, but those were conducted with intense planning and organization, LeGrone said. Additionally, schools may deny requests for leave on the day before a holiday. Those seeking to participate in the work stoppage on Monday — the day before Veterans Day — might face steeper pushback from their district.
“It was an anonymous posting on social media. And there aren't really clear demands, there's no clear timeline, and the legislature is not in session,” LeGrone said. “So for us, it doesn't really make a lot of sense as a union to back kind of action when we don't even know who's behind it.”
Still, educators remain frustrated, so CMAE is encouraging teachers to organize in ways that don’t involve a work stoppage. That might include end-of-day walkouts, or letter writing campaigns. LeGrone said a press conference is planned for after dismissal at Olympic High School tomorrow.
LeGrone didn’t rule out the possibility that some individuals may still choose to call in sick to protest. Educators are frustrated, she said. Teacher pay is part of the equation, but the lack of funding for education overall is forcing teachers to take on bigger class sizes and duties outside their training, such as acting as school counselors or psychologists, LeGrone said. That’s all been compounded by the lack of a state budget, which means raises are on hold, and higher health care premiums for state employees this year.
“So it's really for our classroom educators, it's really not just about the salary, it's about the underfunding of the system that is really leading to massive burnout,” she said.
CMS told WFAE it was aware of the post, but didn’t answer questions about whether the district has seen any upticks in requests for leave.
“We are grateful for the tremendous impact our educators make in the lives of students across our district,” said Tom Miner, the district’s assistant communications officer. “Every teacher’s presence and engagement are critical to our mission of providing Endless Possibilities for every CMS student.”
Teachers at Union County Schools recently staged a walkout, with hundreds of teachers calling out of school to protest the county’s new $1,000 increase to the local teacher supplement. Teachers say the original proposal was a $2,000 increase.
The Union County Board of Education is set to meet Thursday night to finalize the increase. Teachers in Union County have planned a rally. Some have previously indicated they plan to walk out again Friday if the board doesn’t approve a $2,000 increase. It’s unclear if the statewide post was related or inspired by the situation in Union County.
