STOKES COUNTY, N.C. – A North Carolina man took to Facebook on Thursday to draw attention to low teacher pay.
In the post, Nick Cols said he has been teaching for 10 years and loves his job but is struggling because he only makes about $1,715 each month.
The English teacher said his hourly pay comes out to be $6.69 an hour, which is roughly $1 less than North Carolina’s minimum wage.
“I know some will look at this and speak to the fact that I get summers off. I do. I get two weeks vacation here and a week there. I do. All of that is true. I, however, do not get paid for those days,” he said.
He goes on to say he and his wife, who is also a teacher, are struggling and “cannot pay for anything.”
Cols continues to say he can’t afford to attend the May 16 rally in Raleigh where teachers are expected to protest at the General Assembly when lawmakers reconvene for the legislative short session.
During the rally, teachers from around the state plan to lobby the legislature for what they say are desperately needed new state dollars for underfunded school systems.
To attend, he would have to take a personal day and forfeit $75 from his next paycheck.
“I want you to see what the people who are educating your children are being paid. The people who are writing Letters of Recommendation,” he said. “The people who are giving them the tools to achieve things that most never thought possible. The people who give themselves daily to wide swaths of kids.”