Teachers, parents, students and other allies are expected to attend a May Day march in Raleigh this afternoon to advocate for more state education funding.

Thousands of teachers are expected to attend the “Kids Over Corporations March” at Halifax Mall near the State Capitol. More than a dozen school districts across the state have canceled classes because of the sheer number of teacher absence requests. The rally comes as North Carolina educators and students express frustration at attempts to eliminate corporate income taxes.

Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, said the state is falling behind on education funding.

"We are calling for our lawmakers to invest in our public schools by ending corporate tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy few," she said, "and we are also calling on them to ensure that our public schools have a state budget."

State lawmakers want to lower the corporate income tax from 2% to zero. Lawmakers have argued the elimination of corporate income taxes will bring more businesses into the state and grow North Carolina’s economy.

A bill to halt the removal of corporate income taxes was filed Thursday, but it faces a daunting path forward.

Walker Kelly said efforts to cut corporate taxes will only hurt students and public education.

"We cannot continue to be in the race to the bottom," she said. "We are not keeping up with our peers in neighboring states, like South Carolina and Virginia. We must do better for our educators and for our students, so that they can have the educational experience they deserve."

According to the Education Law Center, North Carolina ranks near the bottom of all U.S. states for per-pupil spending on education.

Source: Public News Service