At a school board meeting on Tuesday, the Guilford County Board of Education voted to make Friday, May 1, an optional teacher workday, giving educators who want to join a statewide rally in Raleigh the opportunity to do so.
At a school board meeting on Tuesday, the Guilford County Board of Education voted to make Friday, May 1, an optional teacher workday, giving educators who want to join a statewide rally in Raleigh the opportunity to do so. Dozens of educators, parents, and community members gathered outside the Guilford County Schools Community Education Center ahead of the meeting, calling for more funding and staffing in local schools.
“I’ve had my master’s degree since 2016 and have never gotten paid for that,” said Lisa Randall, a Guilford County teacher of 16 years. “I am here today because North Carolina is severely underfunding public schools,” Randall said. She is approaching a point in her career where pay increases slow down, adding to concerns about retaining experienced educators.
For families, some said the impact is already showing up in classrooms. “There are so many substitutes coming in who don’t know the children, and especially in special ed, they can’t have the IEPs, so they’re not really serving our kids,” said Patricia Chambliss, a grandmother of a Guilford County Schools student with autism. Organizers said the rally is part of a broader push to bring concerns directly to state lawmakers. “We’re telling our legislators that they need to prioritize kids over corporations,” said Joanna Pendleton, president of the Guilford County Association of Educators.
Pendleton said North Carolina ranks last in the country in efforts to fund public schools while also lowering corporate tax rates, and argued that more resources should be directed toward public education. The group is encouraging educators, families, and community members to travel to Raleigh on May 1 as part of a movement they’re calling “Get on the Bus.”
Guilford County Schools has called for increased educator pay and market-rate wages for classified staff in its 2026 Legislative Agenda. The district said it remains committed to working with teachers, families, and policymakers to ensure students have access to a high-quality education. Lawmakers are expected to take up budget discussions in the upcoming short legislative session, where education funding is likely to be a central issue.
