61,000 signatures land on the doorstep of North Carolina lawmakers
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Tens of thousands of petitions pushing for better teacher pay are now in the hands of lawmakers.
Advocacy group, Aim Higher NC hand-delivered a massive 300 pound petition in more than a dozen cardboard boxes, piling up the papers Thursday afternoon in front of the offices of House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate Leader Phil Berger.
The petition includes more than 61,000 signatures from people all over North Carolina upset with teacher pay and lawmakers' plans to compensate them.
"We are under attack. There's no other way to say it. Teachers are unhappy. Teachers are leaving the profession," said Johnston County Schools teacher Rezelle Williams.
Education advocates have been collecting the signatures since January and recently wrapped up a statewide tour.
They are calling for an immediate plan to raise teacher salaries to the national average but not at the expense of teacher assistants.
The demand comes as lawmakers are mired in budget negotiations.
The Senate's proposal slashes 7,000 teaching assistants to raise teacher pay. The House's plan relies on boosting lottery advertising to come up with the money.
Education advocates say neither are good enough.
"What you have here is a legislature trying to get past the next election by offering a pay raise, by selling more lottery tickets when the budget experts say their math is a bunch of voodoo math. None of this stuff is really serious," said Gerrick Brenner, Progress NC's Executive Director.
Aim Higher NC is also asking for a repeal of the Gov. Pat McCrory's tax reform plan to help pay teachers.
Lawmakers hope to have a budget plan in place by the end of the month.
