Raleigh’s teacher protest guide: Friday school closings, march route & more
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- Thousands of teachers and supporters will rally at the North Carolina state Capitol on May
- Supporters will gather at Halifax Mall at 10 a.m., speakers start at 11 a.m.
- NCAE demands at least a 25% raise and investing at least $20,000 per student by 2030.
Thousands of teachers and their supporters are expected to arrive in North Carolina’s state capital on Friday, May 1, for a mass rally and to protest for more funding for public schools.
A new report shows North Carolina is one of the six worst states for teacher pay, and ranks 43rd in teacher pay last school year.
“We will not watch our state fall further in these rankings while our lawmakers protect their donors,” Tamika Walker Kelly, president of NCAE, which is the state’s NEA affiliate, said at a press conference Monday, April 27. “We will not accept a North Carolina where teachers earn less and less every year after year, and we will not stay quiet while corporations get tax cuts and our classrooms go without.”
Here’s what you need to know:
When is the teacher rally?
The NCAE’s “Kids Over Corporations” rally and march is Friday, May 1. Supporters will start gathering at the Halifax Mall, 300 N. Salisbury St., at 10 a.m. before speakers begin at 11 a.m. The march will begin at noon.
Where is the march?
The march is in downtown Raleigh with supporters gathering at the Halifax Mall, 300 N. Salisbury St., at 10 a.m. followed by speakers at 11 a.m. At noon, the group will march from Halifax Mall on North Wilmington Street to East Morgan Street then back toward Halifax Mall using North Salisbury Street.
The route is meant to double as a “living classroom” with six landmarks that will feature a history lesson and art installation “transforming the march into an immersive journey through the struggles and institutions that shape North Carolina’s past and present,” according to a news release from NCAE.
Those landmarks include: Freedom Park, the State Capitol Building, the North Carolina Supreme Court, the former site of the Confederate monument on the State Capitol grounds, the North Carolina Department of Labor building and State Legislative Building.
Will any Raleigh roads close?
Streets near the General Assembly will be closed off starting at 11:30 a.m. Friday with people marching on both the street and sidewalks, said Adrian Ezell, press secretary for the NCAE in an email Wednesday, April 29.
The roads near the state capitol and legislative buildings on the northern part of downtown will likely be the most congested, and NCAE encourages people to arrive before 10 a.m.
“As is always the case, spectators and participants at the city of Raleigh’s upcoming events are asked to notify any of our uniformed officers stationed at any activity or those positioned along and near a route if they see anyone or anything that appears suspicious,” according to the Raleigh Police Department.
There are several parking lots and garages in downtown Raleigh, and NCAE is operating a shuttle from The Cardinal Lot, 5766 Chapel Hill Road, near the State Fairgrounds. Two shuttles will run from 8 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. from the park and ride to the Halifax Mall.
Details about restrooms, accessibility and what to bring can be found online at kidsovercorporations.org/may-1-guide.html.
Who is protesting?
The protest and rally is organized by the North Carolina Association of Educations, which has county chapters throughout the state. The National Education Association is NCAE’s parent organization.
The NCAE says the rally is part of a nationally coordinated effort of “no school, no work and no shopping” to coincide with International Worker’s Day.
Are schools closed?
Yes, some school systems have closed or will may the day an optional teacher work day because so many educators have requested the day off.
As of Thursday, at least 20 of the state’s 115 school districts have announced they’re closing schools on May 1, including five of the largest school systems in the state: Wake, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Guilford County, Winston-Salem/Forsyth and Cumberland.
Wake County Public School System is the largest school system in the state, and had scheduled a teacher workday for traditional-calendar schools on May 1 before a protest was called. The majority of Wake County’s 203 schools use the traditional calendar.
But Thursday, the school district announced it would cancel classes for all the remaining schools, including year-round, modified calendar and early colleges.
There could be more last-minute announcements of school closures in the final days leading up to the march.
Have there been previous rallies?
Yes, there have been two previous rallies on May 16, 2018 and May 1, 2019.
Is this a strike?
State law forbids public employees, like teachers, from going on strike, and they are banned from engaging in collective bargaining.
“This is not a strike,” NCAE says in a FAQ explaining the protest to teachers. “It is a mass mobilization to our state capital to shine a spotlight on the moral disgrace of our leaders and to stand up for democracy and our kids.”
What are the group’s demands
The demands for the rally range from investing more in education to protecting voting rights. The following are the demands, verbatim, from the NCAE:
- Invest at least $20,000 per student by 2030—the highest funding in the Southeast
- Fund modern facilities, free school meals and more health professionals in schools
- Recruit and retain quality public school teachers and staff with affordable healthcare, better retirement benefits, and a raise of at least 25% for all school employees
- End corporate tax breaks and redirect that money to public schools and healthcare Eliminate private school vouchers
- Fix our tax system so the wealthy finally pay what they owe
- Pass fair maps, protect voting rights, and restore checks and balances in state government
- Lift the ban on collective bargaining for public school workers
- Protect the constitutional rights of all and reject the use of fear, violence and intimidation to divide our communities
The News & Observer’s T. Keung Hui contributed to this story.
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Raleigh’s teacher protest guide: Friday school closings, march route & more."
