Will Cumberland schools close for 'Day of Action' rally?

More than 100 teachers in Cumberland County have requested substitutes for the May 1 march and rally scheduled in Raleigh.

The North Carolina Association of Educators are calling the rally a public education “Day of Action".

Last year, more than two thirds of school systems in the state shut down for a similar rally.

Lindsay Whitley, a spokesman for Cumberland County Schools, said that May 1 is now scheduled to be a regular school day for students.

“We will continue to monitor the number of substitute requests and share updates as appropriate,” he said.

The Cumberland County school system, which has more than 3,000 teachers, was among about 40 in the state that closed for the rally last year. An estimated 19,000 teachers attended the event, which was called the March for Students and Rally for Respect.

Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson has asked organizers of this year’s march and rally to reschedule so students won’t miss class, according to the Associated Press. Johnson said that he can’t support protests that force schools to close and urged they be held on a non-school day, such as during spring or summer break.

Mark Jewell, president of the NCAE told AP that the rally is designed to affect pending budget discussion as soon as possible. Johnson underestimates the schools’ critical needs, Jewell said.

The NCAE says North Carolina is projected to rank 37th in average teacher pay and is more than $9,600 below the national average. The state ranks 39th in per-pupil funding, which is more than $2,300 per student behind the national average, according to the association’s website.

The association also wants lawmakers to increase funding for textbooks, its website says. The NCAE also is calling for an increase in the number of school nurses, social workers, counselors and school psychologists.

Staff writer Steve DeVane can be reached at sdevane@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3572.