School districts shift schedules ahead of May 1 teacher protest
School districts across the state of North Carolina are facing potential teacher shortages on Friday, May 1st, as the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) has scheduled a teacher protest at the state legislature in Raleigh.
NCAE is calling the event the ‘Kids Over Corporations Rally’; the campaign is set to mobilize educators, parents, and community members across the state to push for major changes in public education funding and policy.
“This is our line in the sand,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, NCAE President. “We will not back down when it comes to ensuring our children receive the education they need and deserve. We will not back down in demanding qualified educators in every classroom and safe, well-resourced schools for every student.”
Bob Luebke, the director of the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Foundation, says the state continues to fund public education while enrollment declines.
“If you believe the NCAE, you’d think North Carolina spent no money on public education. In 2024-25 North Carolina spent $18 billion in state, federal, and local dollars on K-12 education. Since 2016, enrollment in North Carolina public schools is down about 5 percent while real spending per student is up about 7 percent.”
Requests from NCAE
- Invest at least $20,000 per student by 2030
- 25% raise for all school employees
- Eliminate private school vouchers
- Lift the ban on collective bargaining for public school workers
- Pass fair maps, protect voting rights, and restore checks and balances in state government
- Fix our tax system so the wealthy finally pay what they owe
“Setting a spending floor of about $20,000 per student is a terrible idea,” said Luebke. “There are school districts that spend much less than that and do well, and those that spend much more and do not do so well. Money is not unimportant, but how it is spent is more important than how much.”
Gov. Josh Stein laid out his recommended state budget, calling for $19.66 billion in education spending for fiscal year 2026-2027. The governor wants to restore master’s pay, expand advanced teaching roles, increase funding for school safety grants, add more support staff, such as counselors, nurses, and social workers, fund needed repairs, and introduce free school breakfast.
School districts
Wake County Public Schools, the state’s largest district, already has a teacher workday scheduled for May 1, meaning students won’t be in class. Meanwhile, several other districts including, Durham Public Schools, Chatham County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Asheville City Schools, and Guilford County Schools, have adjusted their calendars ahead of the NCAE protests, as educators plan to take time off or call out sick.
Superintendent Dr. Maggie Fehrman of the Asheville City Schools took to social media to explain the calendar change and the reasoning behind the decision.
“The school system cannot provide adequate supervision of students due to the volume of leave requests that have been submitted,” wrote Fehrman. “I reviewed various options in lieu of closing schools. With such a high number of staff out of the building on a single day, ensuring we can appropriately monitor students becomes exceedingly challenging.”
In New Hanover County, a special-called school board meeting ended in a 5–1 vote to keep the current calendar unchanged and not designate May 1 as a teacher workday. Board member Josie Barnhart called the request politically motivated and said the district would not bow to political pressure.
“As a member of this board, my duty is to put students first and that means recognizing that education is a partnership with parents, not a tool for political activism,” said Barnhart. “When we alter, delay, or close schools, it creates real disruption for families across this district, especially working families and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who don’t have the luxury of flexible schedules or backup childcare. These decisions have real consequences.”
According to the 2026 North Carolina House calendar, lawmakers are not scheduled to be in Raleigh on May 1 as part of the short session.
“School districts shift schedules ahead of May 1 teacher protest” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.
