MARCH IS GOING IT HAS EITHER
STARTED OR ABOUT TO START AT
ANY MOMENT.
LET'S CHECK AGAIN.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US?
Reporter: THERE IS A LARGE
CROWD AT THE NCAE BUILDING.
THEY ARE DOING CHATS AND
GETTING READY TO MARCH TO
HALIFAX MALL.
I AM JOINED BY LOCAL TEACHER
STEPHANIE McGRATH.
STEPHANIE TEACHES SECOND GRADE.
THIS ISN'T YOUR FIRST RALLY?
NO, IT IS NOT.
I'M GLAD TO BE BACK.
I'M GLAD TO SEE EMILY PEOPLE
ARE HERE.
Reporter: WHAT IS CHANGE
FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR
THAT YOU THINK HAS BROUGHT THIS
MANY PEOPLE BACK OUT HERE TO
RALLY?
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
MOTIVATED BY HOW MANY PEOPLE
THEY SAW LAST YEAR.
WE HAD SOME CHANGES BUT WE ARE
NOT HAPPY.
WE WANT A 5% RAISE FOR ON
CERTIFIED STAFF, DEMONSTRATION
AND TEACHERS.
THERE WAS A LOT OF TEACHERS
WE'RE WAITING ON.
Reporter: YOUR SIGN HERE,
THERE IS A NUMBER OF THINGS
ABOUT THE SUPPORT STAFF.
TALK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THEY
ARE IN EVERY DAY ROLLS INSIDE
OF OUR SCHOOLS?
I'VE BEEN TEACHING FOR 6
YEARS.
THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR I HAD NOT
HAD A TEACHER ASSISTANT . IT IS
VITAL TO HAVE THOSE ASSISTANCE
TO HELP WITH READING
INTERVENTIONS.
NOT HAVING ENOUGH TEACHERS
SINCE WE GOT TASKED TO SERVE
LUNCH.
WEED NEED READING INTERVENTION
TEACHERS.
WE HAVE KIDS THAT ARE FAR
BEHIND.
Reporter: STEPHANIE WAS IN
THE TOP 20 IN TEACHER OF THE
YEAR.
SHE WAS TELLING ME SHE HAS SEEN
A NUMBER OF TEACHERS WHO SHE
THOUGHT WERE BETTER THAN HER
AND THEY HAVE LEAD THE
PROGRESSION.
THERE WERE A LOT OF
EXCELLENT TEACHERS WHO CAN TAKE
THE OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF
WORK.
THERE BEING UNDERPAID. THEY
ELECTED TO DO SALES JOBS ARE
THERE EDUCATIONAL TYPE JOBS IN
DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS.
Reporter: WERE ALL YOUR
COWORKERS ABLE TO MAKE IT OUT?
NO, THEY WERE NOT.
THEY CANNOT TAKE AN UNPAID DAY
TO BE ABLE TO GET HERE BECAUSE
THEY ARE NEW TO NCAE.
Reporter: SCHOOL IS OUT.
TEACHERS ARE OUT HERE, AS YOU
WERE SAYING, YOU DID TAKE A DAY
OFF TO BE OUT HERE
YES WE DID.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
I WILL SEND IT BACK TO YOU AS
WE GET READY TO START MARCHING.
LIVE AT THE NCAE BUILDING.
THANK YOU.
WE ARE BACK HERE AT HALIFAX
MALL.
I HAVE A RETIRED EDUCATOR WITH
ME.
STEPHEN POWELL.
STEPHEN, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
SO, I WANT TO TALK TO, AS A
RETIRED EDUCATOR, FROM YOUR
PERSPECTIVE, THE DECADES AND
DECADES THE TEACHERS HAVE GONE
THROUGH AS BEING SOME OF THE
LOWEST PAID IN THE WHOLE
COUNTRY.
TELL ME WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO
MOVE FORWARD?
IT IS IMPORTANT TO MOVE
FORWARD BECAUSE, NOW I AM
RETIRED IF WE WANT TO KEEP
YOUNG TEACHERS AND MAKE CAREER
TEACHERS IN THE FIELD, THEY
NEED TO KNOW THERE IS A PAYOFF
AT THE END THAT THEY WILL BE
ABLE TO PAY THEIR BILLS AFTER
THEY LEAVE THE CLASSROOM.
AND, THAT IS WHY IT I AM OUT
HERE WITH SUPPORTING MICHAEL
MAR WHO IS RUNNING FOR
SUPERINTENDENT.
ALSO, TO SUPPORT ALL TEACHERS.
I RECENTLY HAD, BEFORE RETIRED,
I HAD TO COLLEAGUES THAT CAME
OUT OF COLLEGE AND HAD DEBT AND
TALKED FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS
BUT THEN THEY HAD THEIR MASTERS
DEGREES AND WEREN'T PAID ON IT.
NOW, VIRGINIA IS ENJOYING THEIR
TEACHING AND WE LOST TWO GOOD
EDUCATORS.
THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION.
IN TERMS OF RECRUITMENT, HOW
VITAL IS THIS?
WE SEE HOW COMPETITIVE THE TECH
INDUSTRY IS IN THE TRIANGLE.
TELL ME HOW THAT TRANSLATE TO
EDUCATION?
EDUCATORS HAVE A PASSION TO
HELP STUDENTS.
EDUCATORS IN THE CLASSROOM,
THAT IS OUR GOAL.
YOU ARE RIGHT.
IT BECOMES COMPETITIVE.
THEY HAVE TO PAY THE SAME BILLS
PEOPLE IN THE TECH COMMUNITY OR
BIOMED FIELDS PAY THEIR BILLS.
THEY GET MORE MONEY FOR IT.
TEACHERS JUST NEED HIGHER
SALARIES TO STAY IN THE
CLASSROOM.
THEY NEED TO BE REWARDED FOR
THEIR HARD WORK.
IT IS A TOUGH JOB IN THE
CLASSROOM.
EVERY TEACHER WILL AGREE.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HEALTH
INSURANCE UPON RETIREMENT.
CLEARLY, THAT IS CHANGE WHERE A
LOT OF PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW.
IN TERMS OF FUTURE HIRES AND
WHETHER THERE WILL BE
HEALTHCARE AVAILABLE.
AS A RETIREE, TALK TO ME ABOUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING
HEALTHCARE.
IT IS A MAJOR ISSUE FOR
RETIREES.
AND, IT IS SCARY FOR TEACHERS
THAT ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED TO
HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WILL THEY
BE ABLE TO AFFORD HEALTHCARE OR
BE TAKEN CARE OF AFTER THEY PUT
IN 25 MAYBE 39 YEARS . IT'S SO,
IT IS IMPORTANT AND EXPENSIVE.
ANYTHING WITH INSURANCE IS
EXPENSIVE AND THEY NEED TO KNOW
THEY CAN SURVIVE.
YOU TOLD ME BEFORE WE ON
THAT YOU WERE A THIRD-GRADE
TEACHER.
MY GUESS IS THAT ELEMENTARY
KIDS NEED MORE SUPPLIES LIKE
ART SUPPLIES AND PENCILS AS
OPPOSED TO A HIGH SCHOOL KID?
WHEN YOU THINK OF THE
ACTIVITIES THEY YOUNGER KIDS DO
.
THE NEW PROPOSAL, THE FIRST
IS A $500 CREDIT.
Reporter: IT IS $145 PER IS
THAT ENOUGH?
THAT IS A PROPOSAL FROM THE
NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE THAT WE
LEARNED ABOUT YESTERDAY.
I THINK THAT IF TEACHERS,
HISTORICALLY, HAVE USED THEIR
OWN MONEY NO MATTER HOW MUCH
THE STATE OR THE COUNTY IS
FINDING TEACHERS, HISTORICALLY,
THEY HAVE PUT THEIR OWN MONEY
IN THE CLASSROOM FOR MORE
SUPPLIES.
THERE CAN NEVER BE ENOUGH.
BUT, THAT TAKES MONEY AWAY FROM
TEACHERS WHEN THEY HAVE TO USE
THEIR OWN MONEY.
SO, I AM FOR GIVING TEACHERS AS
MUCH AS THEY CAN USE THE
CLASSROOM BECAUSE THEY WERE
GOOD MOOD -- USE OF IT TEACHERS
DON'T WEIGH SUPPLIES.
I WANT TO ASK YOU A
QUESTION.
IN TERMS OF LAST YEAR, YOU
MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO YOU WERE
INVOLVED IN POLITICS.
THE NCAE TOOK VERY MUCH, A LOT
OF CREDIT FOR THE FACT THE
SUPER MAJORITY WAS BROKEN
BECAUSE OF LAST YEARS RALLY.
DO YOU THINK THAT IS THE CASE?
DO YOU THINK THAT CAN TRANSLATE
INTO 2020?
YES.
I HOPE SO.
IF TEACHERS GET OUT AND VOTE
FOR TEACHERS THAT ARE QUALIFIED
TO THE PROVIDE LEADERSHIP THAT
NORTH CAROLINA LEADS, THEY CAN
ELECT ANY CANDIDATE THEY WANT
IF THEY USE THEIR BLOCK VOTING
AND SAY THIS GUY IS GREAT FOR
NORTH CAROLINA, WHICH I THINK
MICHAEL MAR IS.
ANY LOCAL OR STATE OR DISTRICT
CANDIDATE THEY FEEL STRONGLY
ABOUT IS A SUPPORTER OF
EDUCATION, IF THEY GET BEHIND
HIM AND RALLY AND TAKE PART IN
POLITICS.
IT WILL BE A GREAT THING FOR
NORTH CAROLINA.
AT THE END OF THE DAY,
DOESN'T MATTER IF IT IS
DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN . IT IS
BY GETTING PEOPLE TO THE TABLE
TO HAVE A CONVERSATION.
RIGHT?