CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Chapel Hill-Carrboro students won't have to be in class on May 16 and they won't have to make the day up either.

• Almost 300 teachers have requested the day off to rally at the Legislature.
• The day will not need to be made up by students.
• CHCC employs around 1,200 teachers.

The school board voted Thursday night to close for students and be an optional teacher work day.

They're following suit with neighboring Durham County who voted to close on that day just Wednesday.

Similar to Durham, dozens of Chapel Hill and Carrboro parents, students and teachers filled the districts board room to capacity and filtered into the hallway to make their point to the school board. 

Teachers say they want the day so they can rally in Raleigh at the Legislature and ask for an increase in funding and pay raises.

“It’s been 10 years and the money that’s going to public education is less today than it was before the Great Recession,” said Brian Link, a teacher at East Chapel Hill High School.

Board Chair Rani Dasi said of the decision, “The biggest thing that really sort of captures the mind is the idea that these teachers are really thinking beyond themselves about teachers across the state, other education employees and the impact not fully funding education has.”

CHCCS serves about 12,000 students and employs around 1,200 teachers.