RALEIGH, N.C. - The Tar Heel state cut $409 million last year from the education budget and eliminated the jobs of 5,000 educators. Rudy Britt is an eighth-grade math teacher in Randolph County. He says the cuts will affect his classroom.

"Instead of asking myself would the kids really enjoy some hands-on type of activity, the first question I ask myself is 'Do we have the supplies to do this with?'"

Britt is one of many teachers speaking up this month through the "Stop K-12 Funding Cuts" campaign, sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Educators. The teachers' union represents 60,000 educators throughout the state.

Teacher's aide Francine Ebron, from Pitt County, routinely digs into her own pocket for to pay for supplies, or even for food for her autistic students - pockets that are shallower these days because she was furloughed 10 days last school year.

"We take our money out of our pocket - and when our money is short, it's even harder to do - to buy equipment, to buy things that are needed in our classroom."

According to the North Carolina Association of Educators, funding for K-12 education has dropped 17 percent since 1970. The state spends 2.8 percent of its taxable resources on public education; the national average is 3.8 percent.

Those who support the cuts say they are needed to balance the budget and keep taxes in check. Ebron understands the need for cuts, but wishes lawmakers would ask for teachers' input before deciding what is put on the chopping block.

"We had some things that were purchased that they thought were helping us, but if they had asked, we could have found a better way to use the money."

According to the North Carolina Association of Educators, the state ranks 11th out of the 12 southeastern states for K-12 public education funding.

A lack of supplies is a tough pill to swallow, but one most teachers accept for now as they try to save the jobs of fellow educators. Eighth-grade teacher Britt knows if budgets stay in the red, he'll have more students in his classroom and fewer colleagues.

"We would rather tighten our belts, use as few supplies as possible, etc., if that would mean keeping another teacher on staff."

In its annual Quality Counts report, "Education Week" magazine gives North Carolina an "F" for K-12 education spending, but a "B-plus" for standards and accountability.

For more information, contact Karen Archia, North Carolina Association of Educators, 919-832-3000.




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DENVER - Colorado was able to increase student participation in Afterschool Nutrition Programs in 2020, even during school closures, according to new data from the Food Research and Action Center.

Crystal FitzSimons - director of school and out-of-school-time programs for the group - said programs work best when they combine healthy snacks and suppers with engaging activities, and Colorado providers helped keep students' education path open when they pivoted to curbside pickup and other creative ways to deliver meals.

"They were doing virtual, either activities or they were sending activities home with families to do," said FitzSimons. "And so they were trying to support educational enrichment at a time when so many kids were experiencing learning disruptions."

Colorado improved its national ranking for connecting kids with after-school nutrition programs from 41st to 16th.

Still, researchers found that students in low-income households and in communities of color were disproportionately impacted when schools closed, and educators struggled to regroup online.

As the nation moves forward, FitzSimons said after-school suppers and activities can play an important role helping students overcome significant educational and health impacts of the pandemic. She said working parents can also benefit from the peace of mind knowing their kids are in a safe space.

"The hours between 3 and 6, that is actually the time when kids are most likely to get in trouble, to engage in risky behavior," said FitzSimons. "So keeping kids in safe, enrichment environments during that time is critical."

Schools and community sponsors were able to connect an additional 37,000 students per day on average with after-school suppers compared to 2019. Nearly 1.5 million low-income children received meals through after-school nutrition programs during last year.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio schools continue to adjust to the evolving impacts of COVID-19, which means addressing both the academic and mental-stress issues faced by students.

Playing catch-up from nearly two years of interrupted learning is a challenge in itself, said Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, but the pandemic also exacerbated many students' social and emotional struggles. Those include behaviors related to coping skills, motivation and self-control. She explained that kids need a safe space in order to succeed academically.

"You know, it's Maslow's hierarchy of needs: You need to take care of basic human needs before the brain is capable of learning to its full effect," she said. "So teaching students how to get along with each other, taking care of physical needs, taking care of social-emotional needs."

Cropper said districts in Ohio are taking multiple approaches to help students, including incorporating social and emotional skills into classroom learning or adding Social-Emotional Learning as a special class. In a new survey, 72% of school district leaders said developing student' social-emotional skills is as important as building their educational knowledge.

School counselors in the survey confirmed the importance of incorporating social and emotional learning into their counseling programs. However, many are already stretched by other duties, including academic scheduling and testing.

Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association, said some districts are using federal dollars made available from the American Rescue Plan to hire more support staff and specialists.

"We know that teachers and administrators, and people traditionally trained in those academic roles, just weren't equipped to be able to handle all the need," he said. "So, having additional personnel in schools that specialize in this work, so that we really are paying attention to the needs of children."

School counselors and other educational support professionals are being celebrated today as part of American Education Week.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - They work with students in the classroom, in the school office or even in the cafeteria - and in celebration of American Education Week, one state organization is honoring a Pennsylvania education support professional for her dedication to students.

Dee Scales has been named the Dolores McCracken Education Support Professional of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Scales, a paraprofessional and union leader in the Woodland Hills School District in Allegheny County, said she's thankful for the award and for the work support professionals do to keep schools running.

"It means so much to me because it actually highlights all the hard work that not only myself, but other support professionals do throughout the whole United States," she said. "We have other support staff such as bus drivers. We have our custodians and maintenance workers. There are so many different titles that we support staff carry within the public school system."

Today also marks Education Support Professionals Day. Scales has been a paraprofessional at Woodland Hills for 26 years, where she currently works with students in an emotional-support classroom.

Outside school, Scales also is heavily involved in her town of Braddock, where she recently was elected council member-at-large. She's a volunteer with the annual 15104 Clean Up Day, focused on picking up litter in Braddock, and the 412 Food Rescue, which helps feed thousands around Pittsburgh.

Rich Askey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, called Scales "a role model."

"Dee is making such a tremendous difference in the lives of her students every day," he said. "She brings with her such knowledge and dedication; that's what the key to Dee's success is with children. She also gives so much back to her colleagues, because she's a powerful advocate for educational support professionals."

Scales serves as president of PSEA's Education Support Professionals Western Division and sits on the organization's Racial Justice and Equity Taskforce, among other committee positions.