Year 28 in a public high school classroom.

I have seen the comings and goings of many an initiative – NCLB, ABC, PLAN, RttT (Race To The Top), Common Core, ASW, AMO, EVAAS, etc.

I have taught with Betsy DeVos as the highest ranking education official in the country. Linda McMahon has not been in office for a year, but her “influence” has been felt.

I have witnessed the North Carolina General Assembly take away graduate degree pay, longevity pay, due-process rights, and health benefits for retirees (if hired after 2020).

As a parent of a special needs child still in public schools, I have seen how his accommodations have become harder and harder to fulfill due to the lack of resources and people.

As an English teacher, I have seen wave after wave of book challenges by people who have never read them.

I was a teacher during the pandemic. And, yes, we are still feeling the effects of that years later.

But I think this year might be the toughest for a plethora of reasons.

As most people are aware, my school system (Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Schools) is having to weather seismic funding cuts to the tune of tens of millions of dollars due to human error. The idea of making actual copies of handouts for classroom use is now part of a “wish-list” on Amazon rather than a convenience. Other school systems are feeling similar cuts.

Add that to ever inconsistent funding from the federal level and the lack of a new budget that works for public schools from Raleigh.

Public school educators, administrators, and officials already have a sense of the damage these forces have levied and how that has already impacted this school year. But when the budget deficit from the local school system was announced this year, it happened toward the end of the last school year. The traditional summer school break may have put that situation in a different mental compartment for many people like parents, students, and taxpayers.

As school opens for the 25-26 school year, more and more people will see firsthand how these cuts on top of inadequate funding will affect our public schools. There will be fewer people doing more work with less resources in the face of ever-increasing needs.

And yes, we will adapt and create new ways of delivering curriculum and helping students achieve. We always have and we always will.

But teachers and school officials have a finite amount of energy and time. If there is anything I can ask of parents and advocates, it is to come with an attitude of “How can I actually help?” and follow through.

Join a school’s PTSA if you can. Go to as many athletic events and pay for the tickets to get in. Go to the school plays and concerts and pay for the tickets to get in. See if there are “Amazon Wish Lists” that you can help fulfill. Donate time for volunteering and ask if you can help proctor state tests.

Please remember that when you positively advocate for one student, you actually are helping many students as many parents and guardians do not have the time or the means to actively participate in the school culture for prolonged periods of time.