Group of concerned Asheville educators rally, deliver petition to school board

By Anjali Patel

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — On Monday, March 14, a group of concerned Asheville City Schools employees, students and families rallied outside the Asheville City Schools Board of Education, delivering a petition to district leaders with a list of concerns and demands.

The president of the Asheville City Association of Educators said that petition has garnered nearly 1,000 signatures, with about 75% of ACS staff and hundreds of community members signing.

Some of their biggest concerns are pay and attrition rates, which they say go hand in hand.

“To be honest with you, I don’t know that I will be returning next year,” one Asheville High School teacher said during public comment at the board meeting Monday. “I love my job, but my family cannot afford to live here. I want to tell you that we are paying almost $2,000 a month to rent a house that is less than 800 square feet.”

“I know six amazing teachers that are definitely not coming back next year because we don’t have the support. We don’t have people coming in to give us breaks for lunch or bathroom,” another teacher from Lucy S. Herring Elementary School said during public comment.

In the petition, ACAE calls for ACS to pay a living wage to all staff, which, according to local nonprofit Just Economics, is now $17.70 in Buncombe County.

“We have a lot of openings in the district right now and the district is doing wonderful work at job fairs and other recruitment efforts. But, I think what it’s going to come down to is can folks afford to have a job in this district? And that’s where we need to see a big change,” ACAE president Daniel Withrow said.

Withrow said, overall, ACAE is asking the district to increase its budget.

“Without that increase, we’re not going to be able to keep people in the district,” Withrow said.

Dr. Mark Dickerson, assistant superintendent of HR with Asheville City Schools, said on March 8 that the district had seen 72 resignations since July 2021. For comparison, 128 staff members resigned during the 2019-20 school year, and 129 left during the 2020-21 school year.

ACAE is also calling on ACS leaders to ensure that the district can attract enough custodians, instructional assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other staff to keep the schools functioning. Additionally, it is asking the board to safeguard all 11 of the city’s pre-K classrooms.

James Carter, the chair of the Asheville City Board of Education, said he hears the group’s concerns.

“There are a lot of very valid points,” Carter said about the petition.

He said the resignations aren’t just an Asheville problem, but a problem all across the region, state and country. He said ACS is exploring ways to recruit and retain staff. ACS has also partnered with Landed, a personal finance company, working to help education employees come up with 20% down payments for homeownership.

“I think we are doing things that we can in terms of our retention bonus. We have a recruiting bonus that we’re actually working on that will be brought to us next month,” Carter said.

Carter said he’s asking staff and community stakeholders to work with leaders as they go through the budget process over the next few months.

“I know it’s hard to live here. I’ve been here since 1983. I’ve seen a lot of changes. Hold on is what I would say. This is a process. This is something that is not just the city schools. Believe me, if we had the money, if we had the opportunity, we would make sure that everyone could have what they need to be here,” Carter said.

Carter said he looks forward to working with staff, county commissioners and other leaders over the next few months to come up with a budget.

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