Ga Education Advocates

Retired educator Linda M. Roberts isn’t oblivious to the financial pinch that North Carolina has found itself in, and the tough decisions legislators are having to make in Raleigh.But she doesn’t believe budget cuts are an excuse for sacrificing the future success of children who live in this state. And she was one of more than 50 people who attended a recent rally to drive that point home to lawmakers.“Let them know this isn’t right!” an impassioned Roberts said through a megaphone, speaking to a group in front of the Gaston County Courthouse in Gastonia. “We are not going to put you back (in office) if you’re stealing our children’s future!”The gathering Thursday was organized by the Gaston County Democratic Party and preceded a regular meeting of the Gaston County Board of Commissioners, though Democratic Party Chairman Robert Kellogg said that was purely coincidental. The commissioners’ proposed fiscal year 2012 budget would hold education funding steady, with no cuts being considered.

‘A moral issue’

Local Democrats and other education advocates are more concerned about the plans of the Republican-led House and Senate in Raleigh, which are inching closer to cutting education funding by 10 percent next year.

Roberts and others favor an alternative proposal that would permanently retain a one percent increase to the state sales tax that took effect in 2009 and is set to expire June 30. Requiring people to continue paying that levy, which was accompanied by a corporate and personal income surtax, would narrow the anticipated deficit by about $1.5 billion, they say.

“Wake up, Gaston County. Wake up, North Carolina,” said Roberts, who taught at Holbrook Middle School and worked in administration at several other Gaston schools before her retirement. “Let’s not balance our budget on the backs of our children. It becomes a moral issue.”

An Elon University poll conducted this year found that 56 percent of the respondents favor making a permanent, one percent increase in the state sales tax to “take care of” a projected budget shortfall of more than $3 billion. In a separate question, 62 percent said they would support a state sales tax increase of one cent per $100 to “close the budget gap.”

The crowd outside the courthouse included teachers and teacher assistants who were recently told they won’t be hired back in the fall, as well as students and other supporters.

“It’s a pretty good variety of people,” said Kellogg, who also spoke to the logic of fixing the problem by retaining the existing sales tax. “We’re not technically adding a tax because it’s already in place.”

Witnesses to the need

Bertha Watkins thought she’d found a job that she enjoyed and that was helping to make a difference in society when she became a teacher assistant at Pinewood Elementary School three years ago. But she was one of those who received a pink slip last week advising her to make other plans for employment.

“The worst part of it is when you love working with children and you see such a need for these positions,” she said. “There are students who need more personal, one-on-one attention, or else they struggle.”

Watkins was equally emotional as she took hold of the megaphone and encouraged others in attendance to bombard their elected leaders in Raleigh with phone calls and emails. Education is not just a Republican or Democratic issue, she said.

“You know what we’ve got to do? We’ve got to fight!” she said. “This is not right. If they don’t work for us, we can give them the boot because our vote is what counts.”