RALEIGH, N. C. – During your holiday shopping, you may have bumped into your child's teacher working in a seasonal retail job.

According to many teachers, in most cases it's not just to earn mad money or take advantage of an employee discount. The average teacher's salary in North Carolina is slightly more than $45,000 a year, with some making as little as $30,000.

Christina Burchette, a science teacher at a North Carolina school, said she has to work at a retail job to pay her bills.

"I'd love to spend more time doing things for my students – spend more time tutoring them, spend more time on lesson plans and things like that," Burchette said. "But I'm not able to, because I do have to work a second job in order to pay my bills."

Beginning teachers recently received a small pay raise, but many others got a one-time $750 bonus in lieu of a 2 percent pay raise.

This year, the state had a $400 million surplus.

North Carolina now ranks 47th nationwide when it comes to teacher pay. Burchette says while many citizens claim to value the state's teachers, few people are willing to fight for action.

"I have a Master's degree and I don't feel like I should have a second or third job with that, if it's something that North Carolina, or our country, really values," she said.

According to the state Department of Public Instruction, the teacher turnover rate for last school year was almost 15 percent. That's up for 11 percent in the 2010-2011 school year.



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Despite being four years into Ohio's six-year Fair School Funding Plan, it has yet to receive full funding.

Advocates of the plan are pushing for the final phase-in - and for updated cost estimates - in the new state budget cycle.

But some Republican lawmakers argue the General Assembly shouldn't be bound to such long-term and costly commitments.

As the current state budget ends in June, Susie Kaeser - an education specialist with the League of Women Voters of Ohio - said the Fair School Funding Plan is the only way to equitably fund Ohio schools.

"This is the moment we've been waiting for, for more than 50 years," said Kaeser, "to actually find a solution to fairly fund the public schools, which are the cornerstone institutions of every community - and for the League, for democracy."

Advocates argue that properly funding public schools benefits all Ohioans and ensures equal access to education in all 609 districts.

However, some policymakers and taxpayers worry about the financial strain, particularly with rising property values and state budget limitations.

Critics of Gov. Mike DeWine's latest budget proposal say it uses cost figures from 2022 for the school funding plan, which need to be updated.

Superintendent of the Ohio Valley Educational Service Center and member of the Fair School Funding Committee, Dalton Summers, highlighted the progress made in the past four years - and said it's important to complete the plan, and properly fund it.

"If we were to not fully fund the Fair School Plan," said Summers, "the vast majority of rural school districts are going to lose the amount of money that they were making."

While many support the Fair School Funding Plan, challenges remain, including concerns about long-term affordability and the potential impact of expanding school voucher programs.

Educators in Texas are concerned about the Trump administration's plans to dismantle the Department of Education.

One of the Department's primary roles is to administer federal funding for K-12 schools.

Zeph Capo, president of the American Federation of Teachers-Texas, said more than 18% of the state's education budget comes from federal funding and potential cuts would affect many programs.

"$1.3 billion for special education students, $132 million additional for life skills work that may go beyond traditional pre-K-12, $126 million for before- and after-school programs," Capo outlined.

The education department also administers Title I money for students in rural and lower income communities. Capo stressed those students will be more heavily affected by the cuts.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Linda McMahon as the new Secretary of the Department of Education. During her confirmation hearing, she said the public education system is in decline and vowed to reorient the department and invest in teachers. During a town hall meeting, Capo told teachers it is time to organize and take action.

"Contact your representative. You can find ways to do that on our website. You can make your way to the page where you can send an action letter," Capo explained. "The second thing is to submit an op-ed or a letter to the editor. Share your story with your elected officials, share your story with your community."

The president does not have the power to shutter the Education Department. It would take an act of Congress with 60 'yes' votes in the Senate.

Capitol Hill observers said the Trump administration is moving quickly against the federal Department of Education, potentially leaving Virginia schools with a $2.5 billion hole in their budgets.

The Senate confirmed former pro wrestling executive Linda McMahon as the department's secretary this week, a move expected to trigger plans to dismantle the agency. Recent polls show 63% of Americans oppose closing the department.

David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, said school districts are worried about the potential loss of funds.

"It would be devastating," Walrod explained. "Here in Virginia the federal government averages 9.8% of dollars that are spent on public education. If a district has a budget of $1 million, then the federal government is providing $98,000 of that. That's a pretty significant chunk."

According to USA Facts, Virginia public schools receive funding from the federal government, a total of $2.5 billion, or $2,038 per student. That's 19.6% below the national average of $2,233.

Walrod pointed out the loss of funds could affect the number of teachers schools can hire, put building improvements on hold and force administrators to decide which programs to keep. He fears the cuts would probably hurt the state's most vulnerable students.

"Most of that money is specifically geared toward students with disabilities," Walrod emphasized. "Students with disabilities can achieve. We know that they deserve the same opportunities that all of their classmates have. But in a lot of cases, those students can be more expensive to educate."

So far, the administration has made cuts to department staff, programs and research but only Congress can officially close the department. Walrod thinks elected officials should visit Virginia classrooms before making a decision.

"I would tell them to go walk through one of our public schools, to step into one of our special education classrooms, step into one of our inclusive classrooms, a generalized classroom that receives special education support," Walrod urged. "I would tell them to just look at the great work that is happening there."