… the two people committed to “Building Our Union” & “Reclaiming Our State.”

When I talk with a younger teacher hired after 2014, I make sure to inform him/her of what I have that the current North Carolina General has made sure they won’t (unless it changes).

I talk about due-process rights and graduate degree pay bumps.

When I talk to veteran teachers, we recall a time when teacher evaluations were not so tied to test results, the class size caps, more support from the state, professional development, and other resources provided. Sometimes we talk about the salary schedules that were in place back then and the fact that we like other state employees received longevity pay.

And we certainly talk about how the state made more of an effort to fund public schools in the past than they do now.

Throughout the last five decades, NCAE has been fighting for the rights of all teachers and for our state’s public school students. When due-process rights were to be removed from all teachers no matter their years of service, NCAE fought back and kept them for those hired before 2014. Remember the time when each system was to identify the top 25% of teachers to give a certain bonus to? NCAE fought back.

If there is any entity that provides a strong check and balance to a reform-minded General Assembly in its quest to privatize public education in North Carolina, then it is NCAE. In fact, many in Raleigh have gone out of their way to try and diminish what NCAE does. Remember this?

That website was established few years ago by the Civitas Institute, which was founded by Art Pope. It showed NCAE members how to withdraw their membership in NCAE and make $450 because that is what they would not be spending in dues at the time. Also remember that Art Pope was the architect of Pat McCrory’s first budget that began the process of de-professionalizing the teaching profession in North Carolina that NCAE is fighting to regain.

Remember this from Sen. Ralph Hise last fall? He went out of his way to release a statement trying to frame NCAE as an organization that does not actually have a large membership and the best interests of the teaching profession in mind.

In fact, he claimed that NCAE only represented a little over 5% of teachers in North Carolina.

What Hise was referring to was a report from the State Auditor’s office (Beth Wood) about membership in organizations that allow for automatic deductions for membership dues.

It had this data table:

He failed to tell you that only a fraction of NCAE members pay with payroll deduction. He was trying to diminish what NCAE really is.

Remember this?

That’s action at work. That’s organization. That’s a group of public education advocates from all over the state making themselves heard. That’s young and older people from rural and urban areas coming together bonded by a goal to make our public schools stronger for our students and communities.

This state has no set budget as of now.

North Carolina is still one of seven states to make collective bargaining illegal.

North Carolina is one of seven states with the deepest cuts to K-12 while also cutting corporate tax rates since the Great Recession.

This election year for our state and country is the most important one I can remember. The same can be said for NCAE as public education now more than ever needs strong leadership that can bring young and veteran teachers together, organize at the grassroots level, and understand that rural school systems and urban school districts all have a need for a voice of advocacy.

That’s why I am voting for…

 

 

Learn more here: https://tamikaandbryanforncae.com/