Let’s keep the momentum going.

Thousands of educators are rallying in our state capitol today to raise their voices in support of many things they see inadequate in North Carolina, including student and textbook funding, resources for school safety, and an appropriate, professional respect for teachers. 

Our Schools First began as an organization dedicated to securing resources to build school buildings in Iredell County, but our cause has since expanded. (Read our platform for public education here.) We believe that teachers deserve a professional wage, that students should have the resources they need to learn best, and that school facilities should be safe, warm, and geared for learning.

We also exist to work with our legislators, representatives, commissioners, councilmen, and other elected officials to help accomplish these changes.

Here in Iredell County, we are well under way with the building effort achieved thanks to the 2014 bond referendum, which has provided more than $130 million for school construction and renovation in Iredell-Statesville and Mooresville Graded Schools and at Mitchell Community College. But there is still work to be done.

Our local supplements for teacher salaries have fallen, and the county lacks resources to restore them. There are a few ways to solve this problem, but none will be accomplished without the support of our elected officials and you, our fellow voters.

This summer, our goal is to communicate updates regarding legislative progress from Raleigh and the effort to secure more dollars to support teachers locally. We need your help.

So let’s keep the momentum going. Follow us on Facebook, sign up for our email list, and if you do both of those things already, share with your education-supporting friends what we’re about, and ask them to sign up, too.

We’ve proven in 2014 that we can accomplish great things. With your simple support, we can accomplish better public schools, together.