The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021 was presented in a fanfare fashion this week by Sen. Phil Berger, Sen. Mike Lee, and Sen. Deanna Ballard. Presented as revamped version of Read to Achieve fused with "Hooked on Phonics." it really looks good on the surface. But it will never help schools considering the past … Continue reading The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021 Is Nothing More Than Political Grandstanding

On March 24th, former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos penned an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune entitled "As schools reopen, it’s time to emerge better than where we started." She starts with the story of a bright young high school student's suicide. It is tragic under any circumstances. My heart broke reading about Kooper Davis, a … Continue reading Betsy DeVos Wrote An Op-Ed. It’s Bad.

Say in 2008, a school district had 1000 students in its school system and spent 10 million dollars in its budget to educate them. That’s a 10,000 per pupil expenditure. Now in 2021, that same district has 1500 students and the school system is spending 11.5 million to educate them. That district is spending more … Continue reading When A North Carolina Lawmaker Says, “Well, We Are Spending More on Education Than Ever Before,” Then Tell Him This

Below is the salary schedule for a teacher in North Carolina for the 2020-2021 school year. Any teacher new to the profession in the last seven years would never be on the second schedule because newer teachers are not allowed a pay bump for graduate degrees. Notice how the salaries also plateau after year 15. … Continue reading Comparing NC Teacher Salaries Now to 2008-2009 – What New Teachers Won’t Get If They Become Veteran Teachers

Last week with fanfare and a highly publicized press confernece, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson introduced his new task force: F.A.C.T.S. and a website to issue complaints of perceived indoctrination. As Will Doran reported on Twitter: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson meeting with some fellow Republican politicians today to announce a new task force for students, teachers and … Continue reading Dear Lt. Gov. Robinson, Where Is Your “Indoctrination” Site?

This is a legislative body that could not pass a new budget. This is the same NCGA that stayed in session for an extra 100 days to try a veto override. This is the same NCGA that is giving more money to the most nontransparent voucher system in the country. This is the same NCGA … Continue reading North Carolina: Where Muscadines Are More Important Than Fully Funding Public Schools

The U.S. Department of Education just released the results of a survey trying to ascertain the number of students in totally virtual settings as opposed to at least some face-to-face learning. NPR had a post about it this morning. The actual survey used can be found here. The findings are rather interesting. "As of January … Continue reading “Disparities In Students Learning In Person” – Results From The First Survey By The U.S. Dept. of Ed.

From the libertarian think tank John Locke Foundation in May of 2020, “According to DPI budget analysts, North Carolina’s average teacher salary reached $54,682 this year.  The 2019-20 average was an increase of $742 or 1.4% compared to the previous school year.  DPI declares that North Carolina’s average teacher compensation ranks second only to Georgia in the … Continue reading The Average NC Teacher Salary is $54,682. Here’s Why That Is Grossly Misleading.

From the same group of lawmakers who made sure to not pass a new budget for the state that directly affects our public schools comes this bill. From the same group of lawmakers who made sure to not dip into the “rainy-day” fund to help schools comes this bill. An “Opportunity Grant” in North Carolina is worth … Continue reading HB 32: Using The Pandemic To Further Fund The Least Transparent Financing Of Religious Schools With Taxpayer Money In The Nation