Children First of Buncombe County will become the latest to host an event protesting state education budget cuts that would eliminate teacher positions and support personnel jobs statewide. The rally takes place tonight, June 15, in downtown Asheville.
Since the announcement of the potential cuts, which would increase classes by two students each, local education advocates have been rallying the community, attempting to stem the reduction of funds they say will reverse 20 years of improvements in Buncombe County Education.
Recently, over 1,000 people packed the Enka High School gymnasium, and a letter-writing and petition-signing event is planned for T.C. Roberson High School on June 18.
Meanwhile, the N.C. Association of Educators stated late last week that the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee announced that class sizes would remain the same for kindergarten through third grade, saving some 2,585 teacher positions statewide.
The full announcement for Monday’s rally is below.
— Brian Postelle, staff writer
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
Our Children’s Future is At Stake:
Without new revenue, proposed cuts to public education, health care, and support services will hurt our children
Make your voice heard!
Raise Our Voice for Children
Monday, June 15, 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Pritchard Park, downtown Asheville
What’s the message?
Join Children First/CIS to Raise Our Voice for Children to protest the devastating cuts to children’s services being considered by the NC General Assembly and show support for a fair, balanced revenue plan to protect our investment in children. Children First/CIS will collect postcards from those in attendance to hand deliver to legislators in Raleigh. Call 828-259-9717 for more information.
What’s at stake?
Facing over $4 billion in revenue shortfall, the NC House of Representatives proposed a budget that would raise public school class sizes, eliminate public education support personnel, reduce child care funding, reduce mental and medical health services for children, and increase the number of uninsured children in NC.
Advocates, parents, and educators around the state have decried these draconian cuts over the last week leading the House to consider a $900 million revenue plan to reduce some cuts. However, the budget process is far from complete. The pressure to balance by cuts only and oppose revenue reform remains high.
What else do I need to know?
• Pritchard Park is located in downtown Asheville at the intersection of Patton Avenue and Haywood Street convenient to parking at the Rankin Avenue Garage and Wall Street Garage.
• Feel free to bring signs (please make sure they are handheld – no sticks or poles) with appropriate messages relating to our theme: oppose devastating cuts to children’s services and support a fair, balanced revenue plan to invest in children.
• Please don’t block sidewalks, streets or impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic flow.
• Spread the word to your fellow friends, colleagues, parents, and neighbors.
When government shortfalls occur, politicians and school boards always manipulate public opinion and emotion by talking about cutting classroom teachers and raising class size. This always creates an uproar, the intended consequence, so that attention is not directed to all the money being spent on the real sacred cow (sports).
Only a few states and local boards have had the gumption to even talk about cutting (gasp!) athletics and recreation. Even food service, transportation, technology, building and grounds maintenance, and other non-instructional items could be cut back or put on hold for a while. The public has been duped into thinking all these things are essential. Well, they are not. Teachers are.
it is the government offices statewide that need cut-out not the teacher jobs,,the folks who have lived solely on the taxpayers are the government positions not the teachers,,,if your an employee of county or state government,and you have over twenty years as a government employee then you need resign your position now…retire, quit,whatever …..the taxpayers cant afford you any longer…we need our teachers if government totally fails,,,we still need our teachers we dont need, county employees anymore,with long tenures…leave now…go do something with your life other than live off the taxpayers..with only our children in mind…jeff turner
come on, lets be real here … this is about teachers first rather than children first.
Travelah, you are correct up to a point, but the underlying reason is interesting as to why teachers try, in a defensive mode, to hang onto their jobs. Quite simply, teachers work at the mercy of their employers, parents, and elected boards.
Can you imagine what would happen if a teacher or board member (or even a parent) publicly advocated cutting out FOOTBALL in favor of keeping classroom teachers employed?