(RALEIGH)  --  As the North Carolina House plans to vote this week on a $19 billion budget proposal, the state's largest teacher group is planning a rally Tuesday at the General Assembly in Raleigh. Rodney Ellis of the North Carolina Association of Educators says school spending is an important part of the what the state does.

"[Education] is a huge part of the budget, but you have to first ask: why is it a huge part of the budget to begin with?  Because of the importance of providing a quality education for students in North Carolina."

The group contends that more cuts to education will have negative impacts to the state's business climate and threaten the state's ability to compete, and educators says more reductions will have negative implications. The association claims the house budget will cost almost 18,500 jobs, including about 4,000 classroom teachers. "It's important for our future," Ellison says, "it's improtant for the future of our families ... it's important for bringing jobs in to this community. And that's why what's happening now really hurts."

The new GOP led legislature has made doing away with the temporary sales and income taxes a top priority. On Tuesday afternoon The North Carolina Association of Educators is holding what they call a "One Voice" rally near the General Assembly to protest spending plans for schools. Rodney Ellison says there's something lawmakers can do to reduce the blow. Ellison says keeping a "temporary" one cent sales tax on the books could help reduce the cuts to education, but GOP lawmakers says they are following through on a promise to let the tax expire.