GREENSBORO, N.C–Teacher assistants across Guilford County are monitoring Governor Pat McCrory’s proposed state budget.
McCrory wants to hire 1,800 full-time teachers, while eliminating 3,000 teacher assistants positions.
Guilford County School district has over 1,300 teacher assistants.
The district gave each school with teacher assistants a letter Wednesday evening informing them of the cuts under McCrory’s proposed budget.
The district said that one option would be to reduce the number of work days for teacher assistants. The second option would be to completely eliminate all teacher assistant positions.
Stephanie Branson, a teacher assistant at Brooks Global Studies Magnet School, can’t fathom the idea of not returning to the classroom after summer vacation.
“This is my life. This is what I went to school for,” Branson said.
Branson says the students and their teachers will be suffering as well.
“So, imagine 24 kids with one teacher. If somebody has an accident, how’s that teacher going to help the accident, how’s the teacher going to do the assessments,” Branson said.
School officials will not receive final word on the positions until McCrory’s final budget is passed.
