“This is a historic victory. Just a few weeks ago, the Board was considering raises of only 3.5 percent and cuts to nearly 30 positions. You proved when school staff and allies unite together across the district, stand up, and make your voices heard, you can make a difference.”
- Daniel Withrow, president of ACAE
After weeks of organizing, speaking out and showing up, the Asheville City Association of Educators (ACAE) secured a victory at its latest school board meeting, with dozens of members flooding the room in #RedforEd. At the April 17 school board meeting, a proposed budget was approved that prioritizes students and staff, including a starting pay of $20 an hour (including supplement) for classified staff, a 7% supplement increase for certified staff, and a reduction in cuts to student-facing positions.
“This is a historic victory,” said ACAE President Daniel Withrow. “Just a few weeks ago, the Board was considering raises of only 3.5% and cuts to nearly 30 positions. You proved when school staff and allies unite together across the district, stand up, and make your voices heard, you can make a difference.”
Several educators who attended the meeting shared their stories to reinforce why funding public education is so vital to the Asheville community.
One first-year exceptional children’s teacher, who has a caseload of 21 students and no assistant and who regularly works 65 hours per week, described how she can’t afford basic living expenses but continues to show up every day because of her love for her students. “The gas to my home was turned off and I had no heat or hot water but I still fully showed up for my students because they deserve it. I often buy snacks and food for children who don’t have enough to eat even though I sometimes can’t afford to prepare dinner for myself. The extreme level of understaffing and the financial stress on us impacts our students. They see my stress and often ask if I have enough to eat or if I’m getting enough sleep.”
Although it was his wedding anniversary, NCAE member Timothy Lloyd, a custodian, felt it was necessary for him to have his voice heard. “Public education is in crisis statewide and in Asheville/Buncombe. ACAE recently presented the Board with a petition of more than 2,400 signatures to address this crisis with the repeated mantra ‘Our Kids Can’t Wait.’ These are kids I see every day in the hallways and cafeteria, and every day we’re not giving them the education they deserve. Every day they come to schools with staffing shortages and overworked staff. Every day our kids wait.” He went on to add he and his wife would love to raise a child in Asheville, but they don’t make enough money to support a family. “One of the things asked for in the petition is for all classified staff to receive a living wage of $20.10 per hour. This would greatly help with staff retention, morale and help me not to ‘Wait on My Kids.’”
With passion in his voice, a 20-year educator stressed how much he loved his job, the students he teaches, and his colleagues. “However, the tank is starting to run empty,” he said, mentioning he has not had a raise in 10 years. “I could easily work for the private sector and make all sorts of money with the skillset I have, but I stay because [public education] is where my heart is. I feel like the big problem in this system is we don’t care about the heart anymore. Every teacher and educator in this room deserves so much respect from everyone sitting on this Board and I’m demanding it! Every kid that sits in my classroom is the most valuable resource we have in this state, but I feel as if everyone is saying they are not important. If I don’t have the resources I need, I can’t do them justice. It’s impossible.”
NCAE member Shana Peele is not only a teacher in Buncombe County, but the mother of three children. She has been an educator for nine years, has a partner who works 40-plus hours a week and shared her family can’t afford to buy a home in her native city. “My three children are on Medicaid and qualify for free/reduced lunch, we receive WIC and EBT, and my youngest child qualifies for preschool through NC Pre-K. There are months I go through the line at Bounty and Soul to get a box of food to make our dollars stretch for the month. I know a lot of the funding for education falls to the state, but I also know our local government, School Board and County Commission are in a place to make changes. I know I have other colleagues who make less than me with the same needs – keeping the lights on, feeding their families and paying their medical bills – and we must do better! Our students are suffering because our educators are suffering. Our kids deserve educators who make a living wage and we ask that you put their needs first.”
The next step will be for the County Commission to fund the request. ACAE will be right there to continue the fight and take it to the finish line.
