When Pat McCrory was governor, the GOP super majority changed budget protocol and made the state budget a biennial process. In an odd-numbered year, a budget is set forth to encompass the next two fiscal years. Amendments to the budget can be made in even-numbered years. Furthermore, if a budget is not passed, then the … Continue reading Please Remember That NC’s State Budget Is BIENNIAL – It Covers TWO Years

In Supt. Catherine Truitt's newly released version of her biggest initiative, Operation Polaris 2.0, this past January, the word literacy is mentioned over 60 times. It's even a specific chapter in the 44 page report. And it is a vital part of her DPI "North Star" graphic. Go back to 2020 when the architect of … Continue reading If Literacy Is So Important To DPI, Then Why Is It Not Fighting For Students To Be Literate In ALL SUBJECTS

Surely many if you have heard of the situation in Florida (surprise!) in which a principal resigned rather than be fired over the fact that one of the most renowned pieces of art was shown to students for the one-millionth time in a public school. The artwork was Michelangelo's sculpture David. Apparently, David has a … Continue reading Using Michelangelo’s “David” In North Carolina Public School Classrooms

It's called NCTeachertax.com. And it's a powerful tool to show how much money teachers have lost since salary schedules have been "amended" since the Great Recession. Public school advocate John deVille describes it best: As a veteran teacher in NC who entered the profession last century, I put in my information and asked the program … Continue reading $100,704. That’s My Teacher Tax. Find Out Yours Here.

Before the Great Recession: In 2023 with a massive state surplus and a court ordered LEANDRO decision:

One of the best benefits of being a veteran teacher and one of the best ways to help people commit to a full career to the teaching profession is the pension plan. Retirement is based on the average of four highest paid years of a teacher’s career. According to the 2021-2022 salary schedule, the most … Continue reading So, They Want To Take Away The Teacher Pension?

There is another push to stop the teaching of anything that policy makers seem to remotely associate to Critical Race Theory in public schools. The idea that we as public school educators must use a certain slant to present history in order to make all seem “equal” is rather seditiously ironic since the very body … Continue reading We Have To Teach Real History In Our Schools

If a lawmaker in Raleigh is really being honest, then he/she would have to acknowledge that the revamped teacher salary scale and removal of graduate degree pay are ways to make sure that when teachers retire, they will not be receiving as much in retirement pay as in the past. Consider that a teacher’s pension … Continue reading When $54,000 is Greater Than $76,784 – The NCGA’s Assault on Teacher Pension and Retirement

Remember that BEST NC is a business lobbying firm that is housed on the campus of SAS, the company that brought us EVAAS and is owned by Jim Goodnight, a major campaign contributor to GOP candidates on the state level. Last week they released their report on teacher pay which offered a few "recommendations" for … Continue reading Advanced Roles, Merit Pay, & A Refusal To Reinstate Proven Ways To Recruit & Retain Teachers