PHOTOS: Buncombe County Association of Educators rallies for increased education spending

Posted on by Greg Parlier

The state of North Carolina and Buncombe County government should allocate more funding for education, argued Buncombe County Association of Educators, an organized advocacy group for teachers at a rally June 6.

N.C. Representative Lindsay Prather told a crowd of about 100 attending the June 6 Pack Square event that Republicans in the state legislature were shirking their responsibility to fund public education, but she was still fighting for local teachers and administrators.

Timothy Lloyd, president of the Asheville City Association of Educators led the crowd in chants as children played in the city fountain behind the protestors.

“Public education is the future of our state. Support it and fund it. Our kids can’t wait,” the crowd chanted.

BCAE is advocating for the county to approve a budget that includes the full $13.5 million that Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Rob Jackson put in his proposed budget for next school year.

Buncombe County’s proposed fiscal year 2024-25 budget, which is up for a final vote June 18, includes a $4 million bump for education, split between Buncombe County Schools, Asheville City Schools and AB-Tech. BCS would get $3.4 million of the increase.

Xpress photographer Caleb Johnson was at the rally and captured the following images.

All photos by Caleb Johnson.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “PHOTOS: Buncombe County Association of Educators rallies for increased education spending”

  1. Teknik Informatika

    What specific actions did Lindsay Prather say she was taking to support local teachers and administrators?

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.