When the GOP won control of both houses in the North Carolina General Assembly in the elections of 2010, it was the first time that the Republicans had that sort of power since 1896. Add to that the election of Pat McCrory as governor in 2012, and the GOP has been able to run through … Continue reading This Is What Has Happened to NC’s Public School System in the Last Eight Years. It Can Change Starting November 6, 2018.

It all started with HB17 that was "passed" in a special session of the North Carolina General Assembly after the 2016 elections and before the new terms began. That bill gave the office of the state superintendent more power over the public school system than any previous state superintendent had and removed part of the … Continue reading The “Department of Private Interest” – DPI’s Transformation Under Mark Johnson

“A pro-life and pro-traditional marriage Senator who believes in religious freedom, Senator Berger has fought to protect the unborn and the rights of magistrates and government officials who choose to opt out of gay marriages or other ceremonies because of religious objections.” – philberger.org It is easy to confine the labels “pro-life” and “pro-choice” to the … Continue reading Sen Berger, “Pro-Life” Means Taking Care Of Those Who Are Already Born

Today, State Supt. Mark Johnson named his new Chief of Staff. Joseph Miamone was the headmaster of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, a charter school in Rutherford County. He is also a member of the Charter School Advisory Board which reviews applications for charter schools in the state and makes recommendations to the state board as … Continue reading Making DPI the “Department of Giving The Charter School Industry More Power in NC” – Concerning Mark Johnson’s Latest Hire

Veteran teachers openly discuss, study, and collaborate. And they fight for public schools. The powers that rule in the North Carolina General Assembly under Sen. Phil Berger have been waging a war against public schools in our state for the last six years. Under the guise of “reform,” GOP conservatives driven by ALEC-crafted policies have … Continue reading Sen. Phil Berger’s Absolute Fear of the Veteran Public School Teacher

When #JustAsk brought the responsive #JustAskMe, what many teachers did not expect was that #JustAskMe would not be very responsive. While either the volume of the questions that were submitted was too great, or the resources dedicated to answering the questions were limited, many teachers have expressed that their questions have remained unanswered. So, bring … Continue reading #JustAskMe Should Not Be #JustAskMeARhetoricalQuestion

In the state of North Carolina, over 56% of the state budget is dedicated to public education, most of which goes to K-12 (and pre-K) education. It’s specifically stated in Article IX of the state constitution that the state establish a free and viable means of educating school age-children. Sec. 2.  Uniform system of schools. … Continue reading Teachers Should Be Political, Especially Here in North Carolina

Southside-Ashpole Elementary School in Robeson County was selected by the state to be the first school (and currently only school) in the Innovative School District back before the end of the last school year. The first superintendent of the ISD was Dr. Eric Hall, who is now the Deputy Superintendent of INNOVATION in Raleigh having … Continue reading Look at the Website of the Innovative School District’s Only School – What Does It Tell You About the Priorities of the ISD?

The recent exposure of the May 10th Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting (when the WSFCS superintendent and school board chair shared their budget request) has highlighted a rather contentious  issue within the teaching community: teacher supplements. More importantly, it brings to light the need for an audit of how items are communicated between elected … Continue reading Why This Teacher “Bonus” is a Symptom of a Deeper Problem