CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A group of upset North Carolina teachers plans to deliver a bag of coal to Gov. Pat McCrory’s Charlotte office later today to show their displeasure with his education reform agenda.

The teachers intend for their public relations stunt to embarrass McCrory, but it’s actually a sign they view the first-year governor as a major threat to the status quo – and that’s a good thing.

The governor should proudly display his bag of coal. It’s a trophy for standing up for the best interests of students, even when that means angering the special interests.

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The disgruntled teachers are upset over a new state budget passed this summer that – among other things – phases out teacher tenure, creates a limited voucher plan for low-income families, and eliminates the worthless practice of linking teacher raises to the accrual of additional college credits, reports CharlotteObserver.com.

The teachers and their union leaders appear most upset over the fact that teachers haven’t had an across-the-board, percentage raise in five years. They want to pin that on McCrory, but that doesn’t make much sense since he’s only been on the job 11 months.

In fact, McCrory agrees that educators deserve more money, and has indicated that he’ll introduce a pay raise plan early next year. The governor has even indicated he’s willing to reconsider giving raises to teachers who earn their master’s degree, but warns it’ll have to be related to how well the teacher performs in the classroom, reports WFDD.org.

McCrory is also considering a plan that would tie teacher pay to their overall market value. Such a plan would benefit educators in hard-to-fill subjects – such as math and science – but would likely be less beneficial to art, music and English teachers.

The teacher unions don’t like that plan, and is one of the reasons activist educators are planning their “sack of coal” demonstration for later today.

The unions and their allies are also planning walk-outs to protest McCrory’s reform agenda, along with a lawsuit to fight the state’s limited voucher plan, reports the Associated Press.