Dear fellow Americans.

Our country has been built with the sweat and blood of many men and women that we consider our heroes because they made immeasurable sacrifices. They never gave up in their fight for justice and as a result, we the American people live in the strongest democracy the human history has ever seen.

Substitutes Teachers in Wake County Public School System earn the minimum hourly rate of 10/hr and that is LESS than US$ 20, 000 a year because holidays are not paid. Substitutes are paid EVERY 15 DAYS and around US $ 400 a week LESS TAXES and  LESS gas expenses which are higher than normal due to they drive to schools in different locations.

Substitute Teachers do not have health insurance nor paid time off and not to mention that holidays or days assigned but not worked due to inclement weather are not paid either. This legion of men and women that teaches everyday our children in different schools to keep the school system running when permanent teachers are out are being definitely treated unfairly. (1) Substitute Teacher may teach up to 40 hours a week, if we do the math only (50) Substitute Teachers would teach 2,000 hours a week.

How is possible that these professionals with Bachelors and Masters are being paid in many cases LESS than the maintanance personnel (The maintanance personnel is relevant but teaching it is as well)?

Every day hundreds of our children in Wake County are affected due to the Substitute Teachers shortages. We have numberless classrooms withouth a teacher and this situation is undermining the quality of our education, overwhelming permanent teachers, stressing our kids and decreasing the performance of schools' staffs in general. It is as simple as this, it is impossible to live on such low hourly rate for people who have spent a big part of their lives in colleges and universities to provide a consistent support to their communities.

We consider very discriminatory that all employees in WCPSS have been considered recently for salary increases except Substitute Teachers who are employees as well. We are calling our fellow Americans, the governor of North Carolina Mr. Roy Cooper, the WCPSS Superintendent Cathy Moore and the NC senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr to fight for the dignification of the lives of these hardworking Americans and to say "No" to exclusion of people working hard to make our communities a better place we can call home.

-WCPSS salary increases data.

1. Bus drivers' minimum pay will be raised from $13.11 to $15 an hour starting Jan. 2

2. Non-certified staff, such as bus drivers and support staff, will receive a one-time $500 locally funded bonus to be paid in December's payroll. They will also receive a 3% locally funded salary increase beginning in January 2020 that will be retroactive to July 2019.

3. Certified staff, such as teachers, will receive a total 1% increase to their supplemental pay beginning in January 2020 that will be retroactive to July 2019.

Source of the salary increases: https://www.wral.com/wake-school-board-approves-raises-bonuses-for-employees-as-state-budget-lingers-in-limbo/18809903/

As Abraham Lincoln once said:

"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."

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