On June 11th, the State Board of Education met to discuss guidelines for opening schools and vote on their adoption. Those guidelines were put together by state health experts. No one of the State Board of Education is a state health expert, especially Dan Forest. From NC Policy Watch's Greg Childress on June 12th: "Lt. … Continue reading The Dangerous Contradictions of Lt. Gov. Dan Forest’s ReOpening Schools “Plan”

Remember that teachers no longer receive longevity pay like other state employees. Remember that bonuses are not salary increases. They are usually one-time payments. Also remember that bonuses get taxed and that none of it can go toward retirement. Senate Bill 818, which was revised as late as yesterday, includes a one-time bonus of $350 … Continue reading The NCGA Wants To Give Teachers A “Bonus” – Here’s What They Could Do With It

There is no question that doing what we can as educators to help students with mental health is an important endeavor. In fact, caring for the mental and physical health of all of our students should be paramount. And a recent bill signed into law by Gov. Cooper tries to tackle mental health  issues and … Continue reading Another Unfunded Mandate From The State For Public Schools

Yesterday, the governor's office released the "StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12)" as a "plan" to safely reopen schools. As reported in this morning's Winston-Salem Journal: When the school year starts in August, students will be screened for illnesses before entering school, floor markings will be placed in classroom to ensure social distancing and congregating will … Continue reading School ReOpening “Plans” Were Released Yesterday, But There Are So Many Questions

If you are one of the most powerful lawmakers in a state who tweets your state's strong bond rating (but have not exercised it) during a pandemic, then you are either electioneering or bragging about something that you will never use. Or in Tim Moore's case, both. Last week  he tweeted this (and included is … Continue reading NC Must Invest More In Schools NOW – And They Can

... what I witnessed, heard, and actualized gave me more faith in this next generation of students than I have ever had before. And the kids are alright. Twenty-plus years of teaching (and the fact that I didn't start until my late 20's) reminds me that I am not by any means young in body … Continue reading This Teacher Went To A Peaceful Protest And…

So it went from this: to this:        

CARES stands for the "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act." North Carolina received a little more than $2 billion dollars in this bill. This week Newsweek published an op-ed from two professors of education at Bucknell University concerning how Betsy DeVos is handling how monies from the CARES act is being distributed. "DeVos made … Continue reading “Betsy DeVos Is Looting Public Schools” – An Op-Ed Looking At CARES

This morning State Superintendent Mark Johnson talked about the statewide plan for reopening schools this fall (with no evidence that his “Task Force” ever met at all). And that statewide plan is that there is no statewide plan. Each LEA will have its own unique plan (115 school systems in the state). And because charter schools … Continue reading The State’s “ReOpening Plan” Is To Not Have A Plan

When the country was in the grips of the Great Recession over a decade ago, public education in this state took some of the biggest cuts in funding – cuts that were never really restored as the economy regained momentum and rebounded. One only has to see the level of per-pupil expenditures in 2019-2020 compared … Continue reading Actually Now Is The Time To Invest In NC’s Public Schools