Teachers March on Raleigh: What to know, and why they're marching

Raleigh met with a swarm of teachers, students and supporters on the steps of its legislative buildings downtown today in the March for Students and Rally for Respect event organized by members of the North Carolina Association of Educators.

An estimated 15,000 people from across the state marched through the rain on the capital city in an effort to speak to legislators and hold them accountable for the next six months, to make teachers and students their first priority, said Tim Cowley, communications manager for NCAE.

As many as 80 schools are closed on Wednesday from at least 37 school districts, including some of the state's largest like Wake, Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Guilford County. Close to 1 million students in the state of North Carolina have Wednesday off, the NCAE reported.

Around 300 educators headed to Raleigh from Buncombe County and Asheville City Schools for the advocacy day, said Paula Dinga, an educator and member of the Buncombe County Association of Educators.

More: Buncombe County Schools to close for teacher rally Wednesday in Raleigh

Four buses left Asheville at 4 a.m. Wednesday to give local teachers an opportunity voice their grievances to state leaders.

The buses are being paid for by donations gathered by leaders of the Buncombe County Association of Educators and Asheville City Association of Educators, Dinga said.

Administrators from Asheville City Schools and Bunbombe County Schools made the decision last week to close all schools on May 16, after a surge of time-off requests led to safety concerns and left administrators scrambling to find enough substitute teachers to fill vacated positions.

More: Asheville City Schools announce closure for statewide teacher rally, Buncombe undecided

Buncombe is the state's 13th-largest school district, with nearly 25,000 students enrolled in 45 schools.

"We respect and value our teachers' commitment to advocating for education," Superintendent Tony Baldwin said in a statement.

The rally in Raleigh comes after days-long strikes in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arizona, where teachers in those states took to striking last month for better pay and more education funding, known as the 'Red for Ed' movement, that has now taken hold in North Carolina.

The day ends with the Rally for Respect on Bicentennial Plaza Mall at 3 p.m.

But not everyone is in support of the event. A number of opposition events have been planned before or during the teacher's rally, hosted by the North Carolina Republican Party.

An event on Wednesday morning in downtown Raleigh, blocks from the legislative buildings, will be held for parents and students who are against the march to share their thoughts.

For those in the Western North Carolina who are unable to attend the events in Raleigh, locals held a satellite march in Asheville at 10 a.m. at the BLOCK off Biltmore.

Look for more on this story as the day goes on.