With the "Delta" variant of the coronavirus surging in NC, the Centers for Disease Control issued new guidelines for mask wearing. Of course since it does not collide with Sen. Phil Berger's narrative to downplay the virus, he conveniently dismisses it with the ever powerful "raw cookie dough" argument. The irony here is that Berger … Continue reading Sen Berger’s “Science” Lesson About Raw Cookie Dough

It appears that many school boards will be meeting this week to make decisions about protocols for school openings including my own school district. And when big meetings occur, social media and email campaigns start up in full force and not all of the opinions out there are based on valid information and much seems … Continue reading Dear Local School Board Member, Put Science Over Politics

If there is anything that is consistent as to what the state superintendent has stated about this past year concerning the effects of the pandemic on public schools, then it can be summed up in one word: convenience. About a month ago, Supt. Catherine Truitt co-authored an op-ed that appeared in EdNC.org entitled "Call ‘learning … Continue reading Dear State Supt., NC Needs An Educational Leader – Not A Politician Of Convenience

Yesterday Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson "officially" named the members of his "indoctrination" task force to make sure that students in NC public schools do not become influenced by progressive views of society coming from teachers. If you have not read about the proceedings of the task force and its lack of transparency, this is a … Continue reading About That F.A.C.T.S. Task Force Member List

The GOP-led NC legislature’s 2013 decision to end graduate degree pay bumps for new teachers entering the teaching profession was not only misguided, but another wave in the assault on public education that continues here in the Old North State. And the very person who has influenced more policy on public education since 2013, Sen. … Continue reading Graduate Degrees Do Matter & NC Should Restore Graduate Degree Pay

As August approaches, teachers will begin a new school year and their "step" will increase by another year. That "step" is the number of years served in schools. Not long ago, teachers who served the state for at least ten years would receive what was called "longevity" pay as part of their commitment to public … Continue reading Remember Longevity Pay? It’s Now Seven Years That Teachers Have Been Denied.

This bill just passed in the Texas state senate. Do not think that this would not be attempted in North Carolina. It's SB 3. It's what has been "struck out" that is really disturbing.

In March of 2019, then State Supt. Mark Johnson released his budget recommendations for the next two-year cycle for the North Carolina General Assembly to use in their shaky investment in NC’s public schools. He published those recommendations on his website (it is not in existence any longer). Here is part of that list. There was … Continue reading 10588 Openings In NC Schools?

Just remember that the guy who is championing HB324... ... is the same guy who championed this: North Carolina's Republican-led General Assembly has approved a set of legislative district maps to replace the 2011 plans thrown out by the courts for being illegal racial gerrymanders.  And the guy who is championing this... ...is the same … Continue reading The Boogeystrawman That Is HB 324

This morning it was reported that Pulitzer-Prize winner, MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient, and UNC-CH alumna Nikole Hannah-Jones turned down an offer to teach at UNC-CH's School of Journalism. From that News & Observer report: Hannah-Jones said her tenure was originally delayed because of interference from political appointees and from Walter Hussman Jr., who gave the … Continue reading What The Nikole Hannah-Jones / UNC-CH Debacle Says About Our NCGA’s Commitment To Public Education