North Carolina's minimum wage is currently at $7.25 an hour. Over 20% of NC public school students live at or below the poverty level. Most schools that received "D" or "F" as a school performance grade had a 50% or more poverty rate. North Carolina did not expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of people. … Continue reading If the NCGA Wants to “Improve” Public Education, It Must Start to Actively Combat Poverty in NC

I believe Rodney Ellis would be proud of us. While it has been over two years since we lost this leader, father, and tireless public school advocate, there is still his unmistakable presence among us here in North Carolina. Think of all that has occurred in past few years with the continued assault on traditional … Continue reading Remembering Rodney Ellis – He Would Be Fighting For Public Schools in Raleigh on May 1st And Every Other Day

Some people who do not support the All Out For May 1st march and rally in Raleigh argue that it will take away a school day from students and schools. Sen. Phil Berger and State Superintendent Mark Johnson have made public statements to that effect. Yet, for all denotative definitions and connotative associations related to … Continue reading Actually May 1st Will Be A School Day – Just a Bigger Classroom

There is no question that reducing standardized testing is a must in public schools. Yet, how to do so remains a bit of a test. Earlier in the year, Mark Johnson suggested in a released statement in the News & Observer, State Schools Superintendent Mark Johnson announced this week several changes that the state Department of Public Instruction will … Continue reading You Might Want to Look Closer at HB377 – When Non-Educators Dictate How Students Should Be Tested

Today, Phil Berger released this statement. This version was screen captured from a forwarded Facebook post. Throw in some hyperbole, hypocrisy, some healthy helpings of unfounded pathos, some either/or fallacy, and avoidance of what the May 1st march is actually about and you get this rather humorous missive by a man scared that the momentum … Continue reading About Sen. Phil “Begging the Question” Berger’s Fear-Based Post Concerning May 1st

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

Actually, that's a not a rhetorical question. Last year the NC Association of School Administrators issued a statement very much opposing the May 16th, 2018 rally by teachers and other public education supporters. There were rumors of school administrators who told teachers to not participate in the May 16th rally and to take down any … Continue reading What Will the NC Association of School Administrators Say About This Year’s March?

Any public school advocate in North Carolina who has been actively defending our public school system knows the names of Sen. Jerry Tillman and Sen. Ralph Hise. Tillman has been the "grandfather" of the charter school movement and has been a strong proponent of many a "reform" that has hurt public schools: charters, vouchers, ISD, … Continue reading Another “Major Business Tax Cut” Proposed by Those Wanting to Continue Underfunding Public Schools

For those who did not see Susan Foulke's post on NCTU's Facebook page, she references the "Use of Personal Leave Chart" that the state has provided and then linked the file. I am putting it on the blog in case there are some readers who did not see the actual post or do not follow … Continue reading NC’s Personal Leave Policy

Today we teachers and educational staff received this from Mark Johnson: Specifically it says, Educators – When I visit schools around North Carolina, I talk to teachers, hear your concerns, and bring your ideas back to the capital seeking results. These visits and discussions most recently resulted in legislation introduced just this week that would … Continue reading About Mark Johnson’s Timid Letter Concerning May 1st