It’s been more than two weeks since any major news has happened regarding Beaufort County’s teaching assistants. There is still no word from the North Carolina General Assembly, and with the Board of Commissioners’ decision to fund the cut positions, county teaching assistants have returned nervously to the classroom.

But despite the brief silence, the fight is far from over.

Even though Beaufort County’s teaching assistant positions were funded for another year, the fact still remains that state legislators may not decide to fund them as they have in previous years.

The county commissioners made a laudable decision to offer their assistance, but it was only a battle won — not the war.

Ultimately, many state legislators still do not understand the impact teaching assistants have on the classroom. They no longer play the role of babysitter but rather act as an extension and equal partner of the regular classroom teacher.

Many of the legislators are still grasping for the pie-in-the-sky ideal of a lower-class- size ratio of 15 students to one teacher. But even Sen. Bill Cook admitted that this probably won’t happen for every county.

Looking beyond Beaufort County, some counties do not have the commissioners’ financial support for these issues and have had to weather the cuts.

And don’t be fooled. Beaufort County is still in danger. The commissioners’ funding is a short-term solution, and the same fight will likely happen again in the coming years. Local teaching assistants should not have to rely on county funds. They deserve to have state-level support, legislators who value their work and have their backs.

North Carolinians should not settle for less. The budget is not concrete as of yet, and lawmakers need to know the consequences of what could possibly happen.

Do not be seduced by the silence. It is merely the brief calm of the eye of the hurricane. The war is far from over, and constituents should continue to fight for the teaching assistants.