Mooresville, Iredell Schools To Close Day Of NC Teacher Rally

MOORESVILLE, NC — Schools in Mooresville and throughout Iredell County will be closed Wednesday, May 16, the same day teachers from around the state head to Raleigh to march for increases in pay and school funding.

“There will now be NO SCHOOL for students on Wednesday, May 16, 2018,” Mooresville Graded School District said in a statement May 7. “This day is now designated as an optional teacher workday. Because of this change, this Wednesday, May 09, will now be a full instructional day following a regular schedule. There will be no early release as previously planned.”

One day after Mooresville Graded School District announced its closure, Iredell-Statesville Schools said they would be doing the same.

“Without the substitute teacher capacity to cover the absences that Iredell-Statesville Schools anticipates, Superintendent Brady Johnson, supported by the Board of Education, has made the decision to make Wednesday, May 16th an optional teacher workday,” ISS said Tuesday.

“Any Advanced Placement (AP) testing that is scheduled for that day will continue,” ISS said. “Additionally, International Baccalaureate (IB) testing already scheduled will go on as planned.”

The announcement was made as schools across North Carolina face major staff shortages on the day of the protest. Charlotte school officials announced Friday, for example, that they made the decision to close schools after about 2,000 teachers requested leave that day.

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While the numbers requesting leave are smaller in Mooresville, the impact is no less significant. As of Monday, more than 175 MGSD staff members had asked for leave in order to attend the rally, which is about 42 percent of the teaching staff.

SEE ALSO: Charlotte Area Schools To Close So Teachers Can Rally In Raleigh

“As a result, we do not have enough substitute teachers and other staff to safely supervise and effectively instruct students during the school day,” MGSD said.

The North Carolina teacher rally is one of many around the U.S. In Arizona, for example, teachers held a historic six-day protest that ended when the state increased education spending by $100 million, which will give Arizona teachers — some of the lowest paid in the country — a 20 percent pay increase over the next two years. Teachers in West Virginia walked out of the classrooms for nine days, which prompted the state to give them a 5 percent raise.

While classes are canceled, high school AP exams, capstone project presentations and Before and After School Program (BASP) care will be available, the school district said.

Parents with questions regarding this change in schedule are advised to call the MGSD Central Office at 704-658-2530.

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