North Carolina educators to march on Raleigh May 1 for school funding
Teachers plan May 1 capitol march to reverse corporate tax cuts as only 9 of 38 schools in one district met growth targets last year.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina educators will march on the state capital May 1 to demand lawmakers reverse scheduled tax cuts that threaten public school funding, as districts across the state struggle with declining academic performance and staff shortages.
Medora Burke-Scoll, a science teacher at Eastern High School and president of the Alamance-Burlington Association of Educators, traveled from Mebane to Raleigh Thursday morning to join other educators calling for the repeal of the scheduled elimination of the North Carolina corporate income tax.
“We are watching student outcomes decline. And as both a teacher and a parent, it’s heartbreaking,” said Burke-Scoll. “This didn’t happen by accident. This is the result of choices.”
Academic Performance Declining Statewide
The Alamance-Burlington school district exemplifies the challenges facing North Carolina schools. Of the 38 schools in the district, only nine met academic growth expectations last year, Burke-Scoll reported.
The General Assembly’s failure to enact a new budget last year forced public schools to tighten their belts. This year’s scheduled tax cuts mean state revenue will decline again next year, potentially reducing funding for teacher raises and classroom needs.
“We recently lost one of our strongest veteran math teachers,” said Burke-Scoll. “She was working two additional jobs as a single parent. And when a higher paying opportunity came along, she told me she felt like she had no choice.”
Staffing Shortages Hit Critical Positions
Alamance County has lost graduation coaches, behavior specialists, literacy specialists, and testing coordinators, according to Burke-Scoll. The staffing reductions come as the state continues to impose mandates on school districts.
“We’re given mandates from the state, but we’re not given the staffing to make those mandates a reality,” said Burke-Scoll.
Senator Natalie Murdock, a Durham Democrat, joined Burke-Scoll and other educators Thursday to announce she will file the “Kids Over Corporations Act” next week. The legislation would repeal the scheduled elimination of the North Carolina corporate income tax and establish a permanent corporate tax rate of 5%, effective in tax year 2026.
May Day March Echoes 2019 Rally
The planned May 1 march will echo a similar demonstration in 2019 when thousands of North Carolina educators rallied in Raleigh for better pay and greater school investments. That event brought together teachers, support staff, and education advocates from across the state.
The upcoming march represents educators’ frustration with what they see as insufficient state support for public education at a time when schools face mounting challenges. The corporate tax elimination, originally scheduled as part of broader tax reform efforts, has become a focal point for education funding debates.
Burke-Scoll emphasized that the funding crisis affects not just teacher retention but student outcomes across the state. The combination of staff shortages and resource constraints has created what educators describe as an unsustainable situation in many districts.
The May Day march will test whether educators can generate the same level of public attention and political pressure that previous demonstrations achieved, as state lawmakers prepare for budget negotiations later this year.
