Editor’s note: A photo gallery from the event appears at the end of this story.
A sea of red shirts stretched across downtown Raleigh on Friday as thousands of educators, parents, and students gathered outside the Legislative Building, holding handmade signs and chanting for increased school funding, higher pay, and policy changes.
The crowd was there for the “Kids Over Corporations” rally. Cumberland County Schools canceled classes for the day following more than 800 staff absence requests and local educators stood among the crowd, adding their voices to a growing statewide call for change.
Some signs were blunt: “Pay teachers more.” Others reflected the realities many educators said they are living—“I am a teacher in NC, so I have two part-time jobs.” Another read, “I’m confused—NC is 50th in funding, no budget, same job, less pay.”
Across the rally, signs added both humor and urgency. One read, “Even school group projects get done faster! Fund schools and teachers now!”—a pointed jab at lawmakers’ delay in passing a state budget.
In between them, a steady message echoed across the crowd: Fully fund public education.
In the crowd, Ivy Castellano, an English teacher at Douglas Byrd High School, said the rally reflected what she has experienced over the course of her career.
“When I first started teaching, I made $47,000,” Castellano said. “Now, in my eighth year, I’m making less than what I made my first year.”
‘We’ve Been Neglecting Education in Our County’
Among the thousands were at least six educators from Cumberland County Schools, who said their decision to attend was shaped not only by statewide concerns, but by local ones—including school closings and consolidations, staffing pressures, and classroom resources.
Kimberly Gibson, a culinary arts and hospitality teacher at Douglas Byrd High School, said she attended to advocate for both educators and students, pointing to everyday classroom needs that often go unmet.
“I wanted to advocate for not only teacher pay, but for funding for our classrooms and the things that students need—access to current textbooks and technology,” Gibson said. “It’s important.”
Shanique Morgan, a career and technical education facilitator at Douglas Byrd, connected those concerns to broader conversations happening in Cumberland County around school consolidation, infrastructure, and staffing.
“I think that Cumberland County Schools has recently proven that failing to fund education and building infrastructure shows an example of the need for continuous funding for education,” Morgan said. “The sizes of our classrooms, the resource staff—all of those things are underfunded. It is costing our children their education.”
Morgan said those issues have built over time and are now becoming more visible to the public.
“I think our current situation in Cumberland County shows that we’ve been neglecting education in our county and as a state for a long time, and it is coming back to bite us now,” Morgan said. “If we don’t make noise and make our voices heard, we’re never going to see change.”
‘We Don’t Get Paid Enough’
Standing shoulder to shoulder in the crowd, Castellano and Brianna Grullon held signs that said what their words echoed—Castellano’s reading, “Overworked. Underpaid. Still showing up!!” and Grullon’s, “If you’re reading this, thank a teacher.”
Castellano said her pay has not kept pace with her experience—a reality she said reflects broader issues in how the state funds education.
She also pointed to the lack of a state budget, a frustration echoed across the crowd.
“The fact that they haven’t passed the budget yet—that doesn’t make any sense to me,” she said.
Grullon, also an English teacher at Douglas Byrd, said the demands of teaching extend far beyond the classroom.
“I’m out here to get equal pay for our teachers,” Grullon said. “We do a lot every day, we deal with a lot, and we don’t get paid enough.”
Grullon said teachers are often expected to take on responsibilities that go far beyond instruction—from providing emotional support to students to managing health needs and basic care in the classroom.
“I’m a therapist. I’m a pharmacy. I’m a Walgreens and a Walmart—and I’m making below minimum wage,” she said.
Across the crowd, other signs echoed those concerns. One read, “I am a teacher in NC, so I have two part-time jobs,” while another listed frustrations with funding, pay and oversight, ending with a single conclusion: “Grade F.”
‘People Thought Highly of Educators’
Portia Tatum, a retired Cumberland County educator who taught at Douglas Byrd and E.E. Smith high schools, said the issue goes beyond pay.
“A lot of people complain about teachers’ needs and raises, but the respect has been lost in the teaching profession,” Tatum said.
Tatum said educators once held a different place in society.
“Educators were thought of very highly,” she said. “Everyone—including that man up there in the White House—had to be educated by somebody. Once you get educated, don’t forget where you come from.”
Her perspective, she said, reflects a broader concern among educators that the profession is being undervalued—both financially and culturally.
State Rep. Frances Jackson—a Democrat whose District 45 House seat includes portions of Cumberland County—attended the rally and said the turnout was meant to send a message to lawmakers.
“It sheds light on a serious matter by showing up instead of talking loud without action,” Jackson said. “We are a strong block of voters and should be taken seriously.”
As the crowd continued to grow, families, students, and educators gathered across the area known as Halifax Mall, many dressed in red shirts and holding signs calling for “$25/hr & 25% raises,” “safe staffing,” and fully funded public education.
“We’re not just out here for our paychecks. We’re out here for kids—teaching them to stand up for what they believe in,” Castellano said.
