An amazing rally event yesterday in Raleigh, North Carolina where Faisal Khan of Carolina Peace Center was honored to speak among other wonderful speakers on House Bill 13. Despite freezing temperature, parents with young children and teachers in large numbers showed up to support this cause. Great rally organized by NC Parents for Public Schooling: Save Our Schools – NC Parents for Public Schooling is a non-partisan, grassroots group of citizens, parents, teachers, and public education advocates who have joined together to advocate the repeal of the NCGA’s unfunded class size limits. Carolina Peace Center support the repeal of HB13.
House Bill 13, a mandate with no funding lowers the class size. Special classes such as art, music, and P.E. are at the risk of being eliminated along with those teachers’ jobs as local school districts craft their budgets with HB13 that is hanging in the balance.
The people that are going to get impacted the most are 4 year old children of low income families in Pre-K, a program that is funded with federal and state dollars and is a critical service provided to the community free of charge. For young children who have the opportunity to participate in Pre-K, this early classroom education provides them with a solid educational and vocational foundation as they enter kindergarten—one that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
The lawmakers have required as outlined in HB 13 an additional classrooms for the smaller K-3 class sizes. But places like Warren County would have to build out new brick and mortar structures, which would be a years-long process and not something that could be done in time for fall 2018. The problem is that they can’t do it because they don’t have the funding to do it.
Speak up and stand up fight back.
Please read the last photos for action. Raise awareness. Write about it. Advocate by reaching out to this group who is at the forefront advocating to repeal HB 13. Get involved and get going.
(Photos Credit: Phil Fonville)
