Recorded prior to May 12, 2026, before North Carolina lawmakers agreed to a budget framework that includes raises for teachers, law enforcement, and other state employees.

What if the condition of your child's classroom wasn't an accident? Kai sits down with Bryan Proffitt, Vice President of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), to trace how North Carolina went from ranking 25th in teacher pay to 43rd, and why that didn't happen by chance.

From the NCAE's origins as a merger rooted in racial justice, to the Reagan-era "failing schools" narrative, to the 2011 legislative decisions that gutted teaching assistants, the Teaching Fellows program, and educator pay, Bryan breaks down the decades of policy choices behind today's classroom conditions. Plus, what the May 1st March means for the road ahead.

Support the show

Follow us on all your favorite platforms!Instagram: @democracync
TikTok: @democracync
Threads: @democracync
Bluesky: @democracync
Facebook: @DemocracyNorthCarolina
Youtube: @DemocracyNorthCarolina