Hundreds rally in Asheville’s Pack Square for workers, schools, affordability

Hundreds gathered in downtown Asheville’s Pack Square Park on May 1 for a May Day rally that connected three pressure points now shaping local life: wages, public schools and the cost of staying housed in Buncombe County. The march through downtown was billed as a “Workers Over Billionaires” event, and organizers said it was part of nationwide May Day protests tied to the “No Work, No School, No Shopping” boycott.

The rally drew workers, students, immigrants and other residents into one of Asheville’s most visible civic spaces. Pack Square Park, which the City of Asheville describes as one of the city’s premiere parks, has long served as a gathering place for public events and performances, making it a natural stage for a demonstration centered on public life and public policy. Signs and speeches focused on higher taxes on the wealthy, opposition to immigration enforcement actions and a call for expanded democratic participation.

Buncombe Over Billionaires organized the event, and the coalition was described as including more than 25 local labor and social justice organizations. That local network mattered because the rally was not only a response to national politics. It reflected everyday strain in Asheville and across Buncombe County, where renters and homeowners alike are feeling the pressure of higher prices, while school advocates say classrooms are being squeezed by funding shortfalls.

The education message was especially sharp because the Asheville rally landed the same day thousands of educators and supporters gathered in Raleigh for the North Carolina Association of Educators’ “Kids Over Corporations” rally. Buncombe County Association of Educators president Shanna Peele said North Carolina is “dead last” in public school funding and near the bottom in teacher pay. She pointed to the closures of Asheville Primary School in 2022 and Montford North Star Academy in 2024 as local examples of what reduced funding can mean.

The school systems felt the disruption immediately. Buncombe County Schools said more than 600 staff members requested leave for May 1, forcing the district to switch to a teacher workday. Asheville City Schools also made May 1 an optional teacher workday after staff leave requests made supervision difficult. Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said educators felt compelled to participate over teacher pay, school funding and developments in the Leandro case.

State legislative Republicans acknowledged the need for higher teacher pay but criticized the rallies and the resulting school disruptions. The broader fight over school finance remains unresolved, even as a recent national report ranked North Carolina 46th in teacher pay and 46th in per-student spending. In that setting, the Asheville rally read less like a single protest than a public warning that labor, education and affordability are now the same fight for many local families.