Mark Johnson is the North Carolina State Superintendent. He also wants you to know that he's a lawyer in an email that has probably the best first line ever from a high ranking official. Here's the entire text: I’m the NC Superintendent of Public Instruction, but I’m also a lawyer. That’s a good thing on weeks like … Continue reading Mark Johnson Wants You To Know That He’s Also A Lawyer

This week on EdNC.org Alex Granados posted a piece entitled "Will state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson run again?" that explored Johnson's secretive plans for 2020's election cycle. Catherine Truitt, chancellor of WGU North Carolina, said she is interested in being state superintendent, but not if it means challenging Johnson.  Truitt has a lot of … Continue reading Catherine Truitt Says She May Run For State Superintendent If Mark Johnson Doesn’t; She Made Some Interesting Claims in 2016

This week the Wall Street Journal printed an op-ed by Baker Mitchell, the founder of the Roger Bacon Academies four of  which are classified as "public" charter schools in North Carolina. Simply put, when considering the context in which these schools operate, the actual student body makeup compared to other geographically close schools, and Mitchell's … Continue reading About “The Smear Campaign Against Charters” Op-Ed in the WSJ By The Founder of Four NC Charter Schools – There’s So Much More There

Something happened with the iStation situation and Mark Johnson is “disappointed.” From an N&O report tonight which detailed the Department of Information Technology's decision to grant Amplify a temporary stay against the roll-out of iStation in schools: Johnson said in a statement Tuesday night that he is “disappointed” in the temporary stay. “It sows unnecessary … Continue reading “Disappointed” About iStation? This Teacher Has Been Disappointed For A While

If you do not follow the work of Kris Nordstrom, then start now. He has been the best resource I have found on policy and finance laws that help shape and mold NC's public education system. In eight tweets he completely debunked many of the claims made by Mark Johnson on a recent episode of WRAL's … Continue reading Six Claims Made By Mark Johnson Debunked With Eight Tweets

This morning all educators in the state received an email from State Superintendent Mark Johnson entitled "The Truth About Read to Achieve." Here is the entire text: Educators –          Unanimous political agreement is rare these days, but the truth is everyone - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents - agree on at least one … Continue reading The Thin Truth About “The Truth About Read to Achieve” Letter From Mark Johnson

Below is a copy of a letter / email from Rhonda Dillingham, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Association For Public Charter Schools to charter school advocates in the state concerning the growing criticism of the unregulated charter school growth in NC. It begins, "At our conference a few weeks ago, I shared with you … Continue reading About Those Vague & Amorphous “Talking Points” from the Executive Director of the NCAPCS (North Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools)

BEST NC recently sent out an email announcing the TeachNC initiative with links and information complete with some testimonial / advertisements. "TeachNC's media campaign, "Teachers Have Better Work Stories," highlights the ways in which teaching profession is challenging, fulfilling, and constantly evolving. These career qualities are particularly appealing to Millennials and Generation Z as they seek fulfilling … Continue reading My “Better Work Story” For TeachNC in One Picture

Can TeachNC and BESTNC explain this to prospective teachers? Below is the proposed salary schedule just released this summer for 2019-2020 school year that is still in limbo because of budget cuts. For the first 15 years of a career in NC, a teacher will receive a 1,000 raise for each year. It will go … Continue reading Can TeachNC Explain This To Prospective Teachers? How NC Devalues Veteran Teachers.

Below is the salary schedule for a teacher in North Carolina for the 2018-2019 school year. With the current stalemate in budget negotiations, it will be the salary schedule for the 2019-2020 school year. Any teacher new to the profession in the last four years would never be on the second schedule because newer teachers … Continue reading What TeachNC Will Not Tell Prospective Teachers: Comparing NC Teacher Salaries Now to 2008-2009