“We would benefit greatly if budgets were spent on minds instead of mines”30,000 march for public education in North and South CarolinaBy Ed Hightower2 May 2019Tens of thousands of educators and their supporters marched in Raleigh, North Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina yesterday to protest low wages and abysmal public-school funding in the two states. North Carolina educators have seen a decline of 9.4 percent in real wages since 2009, and the state ranks 39th in the nation in per pupil funding. South Carolina ranks 38th in teacher pay and 31st in funding. Organizers estimated that more than 20,000 marched in North Carolina and 10,000 in South Carolina. In South Carolina, teachers demanded a 10 percent raise, a halt to threats against teachers for making public policy statements and the hiring of more mental health counselors.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 02, 2019 05:15 UTC