Press release the Buncombe County Association of Educators and the Asheville City Association of Educators:
Following comments from Buncombe County Commissioner Amanda Edwards suggesting that teachers strike in response to the statewide teacher retention crisis, Buncombe County Association of Educators (BCAE) President Shanna Peele and Asheville City Association of Educators President Daniel Withrow issue the following statement:
“Last year, when bus drivers and cafeteria staff in multiple counties organized themselves to go on strike, the learning and working conditions were already ripe for change. Those conditions and the urgency to address them have only intensified since.
“While we support the sentiment and urgency expressed by Commissioner Edwards, BCAE and ACAE members are not planning to strike at this time. The money to stop the exodus of veteran staff, recruit new ones, provide students with the resources they need, and put North Carolina public schools on the path to sustainability already exists — and is being held hostage by lawmakers who would rather pad the rainy-day fund than address the rainstorm today. We call on the General Assembly to recognize the urgency of this crisis and utilize the $6 billion surplus to fulfill our constitutional obligation to North Carolina students. We also call on local government officials to address the crisis now and to ease the burden on school staff. The path to a solution here is obvious, and we need our lawmakers to take leadership on this issue.”
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