RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State Superintendent Mark Johnson says he does not think this year's teacher protest should be held on a school day.

• Another protest is expected to be on a school day
• Superintendent Johnson says organizers should choose a non-school day
• Thousands of educators from around the state attended the rally last year

The North Carolina Association of Educators announced another rally is expected to be on Wednesday, May 1. Republican Superintendent Johnson released a statement Thursday afternoon addressing his concerns regarding the date saying:

We support teachers and are championing the changes our education system needs, but I cannot support protests that force schools to close.

The protest organizers should choose a non-school day. The legislature will be in session in Raleigh for at least another three months, a time period that spans dozens of days students are not scheduled to be in school, including spring break and summer break.

Protesting is a right that can be just as effective during non-school hours. Closing schools affects not only students’ learning and nutrition, but also parents, other school employees, and other teachers.

We have more work to do, but we listen to educators’ concerns and have been responding with efforts to raise teacher pay, provide state funding for school construction needs, reduce high-stakes testing, improve school safety efforts, and more.

Last year, the Rally for Respect protest brought around 15,000 teachers from different corners of the state to the North Carolina Legislative Building to address issues they face. Dozens of school districts canceled class because of the event. Key concerns educators wanted to address included better pay, more access to resources, and reduced health care costs.