Same story, different state.  This morning in Raleigh, North Carolina, thousands of teachers rallied for better pay and more funding for their students.

“I shouldn’t have to marry a sugar daddy to teach in North Carolina.”–Sign at N.C. teacher rally (via News & Observer)

Teachers from across the state signed up to take a personal day today.  Schools are closed in most of the state.  From the Raleigh News & Observer:

  • The “March for Students and Rally for Respect” is the largest act of organized teacher political action in state history. The historic all-day event is resulting in more than 1 million public school students having the day off because schools couldn’t find enough substitute teachers to keep schools open for classes.

Education funding and teacher pay has become a political hot button issue nationwide with teachers in West Virginia, Kentucky, Colorado, Arizona and Oklahoma demanding action from their state legislatures. It also promises to be a big issue in the November elections.

The North Carolina Association of Educators is demanding the state legislature raise teacher pay and per student spending to the national average.