Tune in here to this ​Wednesday's edition of Breaking With Brett Jensen!

Breaking Brett Jensen kicks the show off by talking about the massive sick-out by 700 Union County teachers protesting the lack of county supplements promised by the school board, as well as a powerful press conference addressing youth violence and homicides in Charlotte. Jensen explains that the Union County Commissioners had already approved the money months ago, but the school board never distributed it, sparking widespread frustration among educators and parents.

Jensen is joined by North Carolina State Representative David Willis from Union County for an exclusive one-on-one interview to discuss the newly redrawn congressional maps passed in Raleigh. Willis explains that while North Carolina will still have 14 congressional seats, lawmakers decided to revise the district boundaries to make them more compact and to counter what he describes as “egregious overreach” from California’s redistricting efforts. He notes that Districts 1 and 3 in eastern North Carolina were the primary focus, shifting from vertical to more horizontal layouts for fairness and geographic sense.

Jensen is also joined by Union County Commissioner Chair Melissa Merrill to discuss the massive teacher sick-out that shook Union County schools. Merrill explains that earlier this year, county commissioners approved an additional $8.8 million for Union County Public Schools — funds that could have supported a $1,000 to $2,000 supplement increase for teachers. However, despite receiving the money in July, the school board chose not to distribute the funds, later claiming the county had not approved the raises.

Listen here for all of this and more on Breaking With Brett Jensen.

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