What a Difference a Year Makes

WHY THIS YEAR’S NC EDUCATION MARCH IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM LAST YEAR & TWICE AS IMPORTANT

by Angie Scioli, Wake County Teacher, Founder of Red4EdNC
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I went on a “listening tour” this week and talked to some NC teachers.  I sensed some ambivalence from a few about whether they should participate in this year’s May 1 education march, though they had enthusiastically attended last year.  A version of “we did that last year, what good did it do?” was a common refrain.
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Let me answer that honestly.  It did a HELL OF A LOT OF GOOD, and that’s why this year is very different than last year.  What good did it do?

• It gave undeniable, visual evidence that something is very wrong in NC.  Apologists for the regime that created those conditions could no longer deny there was a problem or that the disgruntled were just a few whiny “snowflakes”.

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• Partly due to the march, and the conditions that created it, public education became a central issue in last November’s elections.  Through those elections, we broke the supermajority in both houses of the General Assembly, restored the governor’s veto power, and created a new majority on the state Supreme Court.  We substantively changed the dynamics in all three branches of state government.

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• Now, it is a “long session” budget year, and (unlike last year) a few people cannot go behind closed doors, throw together a budget, and ram it through the assembly.

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• It taught all the teachers of NC something very important that we did not fully understand.  We have INCREDIBLE POTENTIAL POWER.

But here’s the truth about power – you build it, and use it, or you lose it.  That is why this year’s march is very different and twice as important:
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•  Unlike last year, we have a governor with veto power who has proposed a moderate but clearly pro – education budget.  He is calling for average 9% pay hikes for teachers, an additional $40 million for nurses, counselors, social workers, etc,, and $29 million for instructional materials. He came to the NCAE convention and spoke the same weekend the educator’s assembly voted to take action in May 1st.  His message was clear:  I will fight for you, but you’ve got to fight with me.  He needs us to exert incredible pressure so his budget can gain traction.  He needs undeniable visual evidence that his budget is in alignment with NC values and priorities.

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• Unlike last year, we have a governor that can shield us from any punitive measures the legislature wants to concoct.  His veto will stick and will be hard to override.

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• Unlike last year, all three teacher advocacy organizations are working in concert to do this work:  NCAE  / Organize 2020, Red4EdNC, and North Carolina Teachers United.  The collective skills and abilities of the teacher leaders in these organizations, combined with technology / social media and the institutional and financial resources of NCAE,  is profound and unprecedented. We are better situated than almost any other state to build a lasting movement that can create real gains for NC students and teachers. This is a “once in a generation” , stars-aligned opportunity before us.

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• Unlike last year, we have five priorities that were determined through a democratic process involving educators and educational support personnel from all over the state.  It is clear what we want, and that insures greater accountability for our elected leaders.  In a sense. last year was a drill. This year is the real deal and the stakes could not be higher for leveraging people power.  But the people must show up.

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• Unlike last year, we are intentionally joining arms with educational support personnel, clerical staff, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, ALL school workers, and retirees, because we know our destinies are tied together.  It takes every one of us to make our schools safe, clean, nurturing places to be.  With every stakeholder group invested and involved, we could be 50,000+ strong on May 1st.

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• Unlike last year, we know we do not need to be afraid.  Not a single teacher lost their job or was disciplined for attending the march last year.  We know that we are skilled and irreplaceable public servants and that there will not be nearly enough of us in the future if we don’t take action now.  We can conquer fear and embrace hope, in a way we only fully realized in the last year.

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• Unlike last year, we know logistically how to do this work.  We know how to submit leave, we know how to organize transportation, we know how it can work and how everyone can participate.  And we have more time than last year to get organized.

If you hear your education friends talking about how “we did this last year”, please share this article.  This year is nothing like last year, except for the fact we are asking you to gather, in May, wearing red.  And if we play our cards right, every year after this one will be different, and better, because through collective action and building our capacity for leveraging real power, we will demand and create better learning and working conditions for all NC students and school workers.  In this together.  All out.