Community advocates gathered outside the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center on Tuesday to call on state leaders to better fund public schools.
Dozens of public education advocates braved rainy weather to unveil what they called “the New Mecklenburg Community Resolves.”
They chanted “Legislators, do the right thing and fully fund public education!” “Fund Schools Now!” and held signs calling on the state to fund “Leandro,” referencing the long-running court case over school funding that’s been lingering for 31 years.
The Resolves is a reference to the 1775 Mecklenburg Resolves assembled by colonists to denounce colonial Britain’s rule (that document has been at the center of debate over the disputed Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, which celebrated its 250th birthday this year).
But this document is education-focused.
It references North Carolina’s perennially low ranking on school funding and teacher pay lists across the country. Students, parents and teachers spoke about the challenges of helping students excel with low funding.
“How do we rise when teachers work two jobs to survive?” said Zahira Meshinge, a senior at Ardrey Kell High School. “When students are crammed into buildings with crumbling cities and no mental health support?”
Several organizations are listed as signatories to the resolution. The League of Women Voters, who organized the event, says community members plan to go to Raleigh on June 3 to deliver the Resolves to lawmakers and meet with policymakers.
