RALEIGH, N.C. — At least 20 North Carolina school districts will be closed Wednesday to give teachers in those districts the chance to participate in the March for Students and Rally for Respect in Raleigh.

North Carolina ranks 35th in the country in teacher pay, but Kristin Bellerose, a Wake County teacher and North Carolina Association of Educators board member, said it's not just about their salary.

"This is not just about teachers. This is not just about school staff. This is about our students. This is about their families. This is about what we want for North Carolina,” Bellerose said. “We're looking at how all of our colleagues in these other states are making some real material wins for their students as well."

More than 700,000 students will be impacted by Wednesday's closures, but many teacher groups and parent organizations are making arrangements to make sure children who depend on school meals are taken care of. Arizona and West Virginia teachers recently went on strike and succeeded in getting some of their demands met.

Yevonne Brannon, chair of Public Schools First North Carolina, said beyond direct investment in schools, lawmakers need to look at the whole picture.

"We have 25 percent of children in our schools living in poverty,” Brannon said. “We have kids who come to school every day, who are in need of health care, dental care, mental health services, who don't have a secure place to live."

North Carolina's starting teacher salary was increased in recent years, but Bellerose said when other funding cuts and things like longevity pay are considered, the state has taken a major step backwards.

"I would really challenge any lawmaker to argue the fact that at this point, after so many cuts over so many years, that they could really make any kind of claim that they're helping public education,” she said.

Last year the State Assembly approved $2.5 million in cuts, including layoffs and the elimination of vacant positions in low-income and low-performing school districts.

Reporting by North Carolina News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the Park Foundation.


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DENVER -- Women and low-income students disproportionately put their college careers on hold during the pandemic, according to a new report.

Of the 13,000 Coloradans who "stopped out" of college over the past three years, 43% were students of color.

Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, explained when family members got sick and could not go to work, many students stepped in to help.

"We forget that there are extended families," Paccione explained. "Especially in different cultures, where everybody pitches in, and it's not just mom, dad and two children. When you have to pitch in for the entire family, then students of color, in particular, have stopped out."

When elementary schools closed, many adult students who could not afford child care also decided to stay home with their kids.

Paccione pointed out the state is making big investments to help students return to classrooms to finish degrees, or to get skills needed to land higher-paying jobs. Students can connect with scholarships, tutoring, food assistance and other supports online at ReadytoRiseCO.org.

Paccione noted completing a degree or certificate program is critical for maximizing a student's lifetime earning potential. She pointed to the "Finish What You Started" program as a great way to get back on track.

"This is scholarship money and wraparound services at the institutions of higher education that will help students who have started a degree, but had to drop out for whatever reason," Paccione outlined. "Life happens. Finish what they started."

Many of the state's four-year colleges can now award associate degrees to students who completed enough course work before stopping out. Paccione added her team is also working to expand apprentice opportunities across the state.

"To try to give students an early experience in the workforce," Paccione stressed. "Number one, they can see what they're missing, and number two, they can see what they need. And the employer can also try out, so to speak, students before they actually offer them a position."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

PRAIRIE DU SAC, Wis. -- Broadband gaps affect many facets of life, including education. The new federal infrastructure plan includes money to expand high-speed internet access, potentially making learning easier in rural Wisconsin.

The state is poised to receive at least $100 million to help with broadband gaps, with the possibility of more money based on need.

Kim Kaukl, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, said with broadband infrastructure still hard to come by in many remote areas, students face barriers, even in the absence of a global health crisis.

He pointed out being connected can give them a boost with day-to-day assignments.

"Many of our kids, when they get home, they do not have the connectivity," Kaukl explained. "Or, if they have the connectivity, they don't have the download speed to do the research that maybe they need to do for a report, or a project that they're working on."

He said even when many districts around the country were doing distance learning a year ago, smaller schools in Wisconsin had to get creative to maintain face-to-face time. He suggested it was the only real way to ensure learning was not disrupted.

As the funds are distributed, Kaukl emphasized he hopes local internet providers play a prominent role because of their connections to local communities.

Kaukl added establishing more Wi-Fi capability and higher download speeds not only helps families be prepared for the next crisis, but also for snow days. As for schools, the opportunities allow them to avoid falling behind in terms of technology.

"I would say many of our schools are pretty well set," Kaukl acknowledged. "But we've got some areas and pockets, yet that are still struggling with that."

Last year, 80% of districts in a survey from the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association said they need funding for technology training for staff.

According to federal officials, more than 5% of Wisconsin residents live in broadband infrastructure "deserts," and 14% of households don't have an internet subscription.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) has released a new report this week, with recommendations from educators about how best to shape the future of public education in the state.

Andy Pallotta, president of NYSUT, said the union's Future Forward Task Force is suggesting deeper state investments in schools rather than returning students to pre-COVID standards.

He contended it means doing more to meet students' social and emotional needs by funding more school counselor positions.

"Some of the ratios are tremendously high in the state, and we'd love to see those come down, in a big way," Pallotta explained. "Like, let's not just make it one to a thousand or one to 500. Let's try and get it one to 250 students, one to 200 students."

He added cities in New York could be using leftover federal pandemic relief money to fund positions in their school districts. NYSUT also wants state lawmakers to enact minimum employment standards for critical staff, in positions like school social workers, psychologists, counselors and nurses.

As a former New York City educator, Pallotta argued counseling positions were vital to students' well-being.

"When we hired social workers in the school that I worked in, things improved," Pallotta recounted. "There was reach-out, The students had someone to turn to beside the teacher, who has maybe 30 other students in the classroom."

He noted it is especially important with educators across the board reporting burnout in the pandemic.

The report also suggested more districts create "community schools," which coordinate additional food and health services to help connect children and their families.

Pallotta pointed to the Rome Connected Community Schools program as one example.

"They have a food pantry, and they have health services for the children in the school buildings, partnerships with hospitals, and young people can go in and pick out clothing that they would need," Pallotta outlined.

NYSUT recommended new annual state funding of $100 million to create more community schools. According to the report, out of about 730 districts in the state, just under 300 use the model.