CARY, N.C. — Hundreds of North Carolina teachers called out of work on Wednesday to participate in protests urging state leaders to provide more money for public education.

Leaders of NC Teachers in Action say 650 to 750 educators at 52 schools, including 30 in Wake County, 15 in New Hanover County, five in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and two in Gaston County, demonstrated at intersections from Wilmington to just outside of Gastonia.

Teachers at 20 intersections — including 11 in Wake County — held signs such as “Education Costs Less Than Ignorance” and chanted “Fund Our Schools.” Teachers cited data such as how the state has low national rankings on teacher pay and school funding.

“I’m hoping for the public to understand just how dire the situation is,” Ashley-Ruth Bernier, a first-grade teacher at Mills Park Elementary in Cary said in an interview with The News & Observer. “We’ve slipped to absolutely dead last in funding.

“I think so many people believe in our public schools and want the best for their kids. I don’t think we’ve realized just what a massive decline there’s been.”

Schools call in substitutes

Some of the protests were walk-ins, meaning teachers held them before classes started or planned to after classes end to not disrupt the school day.

But NC Teachers in Action said most of the protests are walkouts with teachers and instructional assistants using a personal day or sick day. The absence of so many educators caused some schools to bring in substitute teachers and make other changes such as have students eat in their classrooms.

Bernier and other teachers said it wasn’t an easy decision to take the day off and not be with their students. But Bernier, who is eight months pregnant, said the protests are meant to persuade state lawmakers to pass a budget that will help their students and future students like her unborn son.

“We love our kids,” Bernier said. “We want fully funded schools for them as well so it was a hard decision. But we’re hoping that today brings awareness to the public.”

Jen Shorter, a parent at Mills Park Elementary, joined the teachers at their protest. Shorter said she hopes parents aren’t upset with teachers who called out of work to protest.

”I think that this is what the teachers need to do to be heard, and I support them in that,” Shorter said in an interview. “I know a lot of people might be upset.

“I would love to talk to them as a parent about why I support the teachers and the very real issues that they’re forced to leave school to get people to address what they have to do.”

Group wants more money for schools

NC Teachers in Action was formed after an anonymous social media post went viral and caused some teachers to call out of work in November.

NC Teachers in Action lists several actions it wants the state to take as reasons for a walkout, including:

—Restore longevity pay, a benefit the state used to provide to reward teachers for their years of service.

—Unfreeze step increases. Teachers with 16 to 24 years of experience no longer get an automatic annual pay raise under the state’s salary schedule.

—Restore master’s pay, a benefit the state used to pay that boosted teacher salaries by 10% a year.

—Restore retiree health coverage. State employees and teachers hired after Jan. 1, 2021, don’t get health benefits from the state when they retire

—Fully fund the Leandro plan, a multibillion-dollar plan to increase school funding to try to provide every student with highly qualified teachers and principals.

—Cap health insurance premiums at a time when State Health Plan costs are rising.

North Carolina ranks 43rd in the nation in average teacher pay, according to the National Education Association. The Education Law Center recently ranked North Carolina at the bottom nationally in state funding for schools.

“The fact that i can’t provide them (his students) some things that they need for their education is very upsetting,” Thomas Frey, a special education teacher at Salem Middle School in Apex, said in an interview. “This is what I put my heart and soul into, and I want to see them succeed.”

Wake teachers mobilize for protests

NC Teachers in Action had the most success organizing teachers in Wake County.

Around 40 teachers and parents from Mills Park Elementary and Mills Park Middle protested at the intersection of Green Level Church and Carpenter Fire Station roads in Cary.

“Pass our budget,” protesters chanted. “Fund our schools.. Let’s be honest. Don’t be fooled.”

“I don’t know if anything will come of this, honestly,” Caitlyn Dowell, a Mills Park Elementary teacher and a leader of NC Teachers in Action said in an interview. “It’s hard to say that legislators will listen to us.”

Protesters held signs such as “Honor Leandro Educate Every Child” and “Pay Teachers Like The Future Depends On.”

Around 40 people protested at the intersection of Northwest Maynard and Chapel Hill roads in Cary. Among the many vehicles that honked their horns in support was a Wake County school bus, where the driver also opened her door to say “thank you” to the demonstrators.

Heather Gee, a special education teacher at Cary High School, protested alongside her son Nolan, a fifth-grade student at Farmington Woods Elementary in Cary.

“I want to support my mom because she needs more pay,” Nolan said in an interview. “I want to support our schools so we can put in more money to fund stuff at schools.”

Heather Gee said it was important for her to join with other educators across the state to protest in solidarity for change.

“This one day is going to pay out in dividends toward future days,” Gee said in an interview. “I’m not one who takes off days lightly, but this one was worth it easily.’

Teachers making ‘ransom demands’

Many of the benefits teachers want restored were eliminated as part of education changes made since Republicans gained the majority in the state legislature after the 2010 election. Republicans have made expanding school choice a priority, including easing rules on charter school expansion and opening up the state’s private school voucher program to all families.

GOP legislative leaders are fighting the Leandro plan, arguing that only the legislature and not the courts can order the spending of state money.

“I love how you look at the ransom demands for these teachers and it’s like ‘unconstitutionally spend billions of dollars and stop rewarding merit-based raises’ lmao,” Matt Mercer, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Republican Party, said in a post Tuesday on X.

Wednesday won’t be the last protest organized by NC Teachers In Action, The next two scheduled protests, on Feb. 7 and March 7, are on Saturdays.

An April 7 protest is planned for when the General Assembly is expected to be in Raleigh. April 7 is a school day.

“We will continue to fight for what we feel is the right thing to do,” said Brandy Sanders, a Wake County teacher and a leader of NC Teachers in Action.

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