The opening day of North Carolina’s General Assembly session will be marked by thousands of teachers descending on the Legislative Building to lobby for more school funding and higher salaries.

The gavels go down on the House and Senate floor meetings at midday Wednesday. The legislature’s chief chore for the next several weeks is to adjust the state government budget.

Lawmakers will be met by public school teachers marching from the headquarters of the North Carolina Association of Educators, which organized the “March for Students and Rally for Respect.” Their late-afternoon rally is scheduled in front of the Legislative Building.

The rally recently follows teacher protests and even strikes and walkouts in several other states.

Legislative Building visitors are sure to face entrance delays with new metal detectors and scanners.