The Baltimore County’s teachers’ union and the Randallstown Branch of the NAACP joined forces Tuesday night to pressure the school system to both raise teacher pay and make schools safer.
The organizers of the rally outside the county school board meeting said those two issues are connected.
Baltimore County is struggling to find enough educators. Rally organizers blame low pay, long hours and unsafe schools. Marchetta McLean, who teaches at Millbrook Elementary School, said teachers the school system hires often quit.
“I know, personally, teachers who have quit mid-year this year,” McLean said. “Literally said ‘I resign’ and walked out the day after. That’s a problem.”
Advocates said school buildings are less safe because there are fewer adults around. In order to attract more teachers, they want a pay raise greater than the 3% hike currently planned.
