From a recent WRAL.com report on the new teacher licensure / pay pilot plan: And from the most recent Best NC Teacher Pay Report (abstract): It seems all of a sudden that North Carolina needs to raise pay for beginning teachers. That need has happened before. And we should remember how that "raise" for beginning … Continue reading The Last Time NC “Had To Raise Beginning Teachers’ Salary”

Ten years ago teachers in North Carolina could receive an increase in salary and a higher certificate if they held graduate degrees. That does not happen any longer. Ten years ago teachers in North Carolina could receive due-process rights after a few years of teaching to allow themselves a chance for defense if their jobs … Continue reading The Endgame: To Make Public School Teaching A Short-Term Contract Job In North Carolina

On September 26, 2022 (one month into this traditional school year), there were well over 15,000 vacancies on TeachNC's job search feature. On March 8, 2023, that total is below 5,000. So where did those 10,000 job vacancies go? Were they filled? Are they no longer being advertised because they were left unfilled for such … Continue reading 10,000 Classroom Teacher Vacancies Gone In NC. Why?

Lord Farquaad: "Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make." Remember DeSantis's COVID-19 pandemic response? And then there was this. Actually many died for the sacrifice of making a political statement. Lord Farquaad: "I'm not the monster here, YOU are! You and the rest of that fairytale trash, poisoning … Continue reading Gov. Ron DeSantis Is Our Modern Day Lord Farquaad

Education journalist Matt Barnum's report on teacher turnover rates on March 6, 2023 on Chalkbeat.com tells a much bigger picture about the state of the teaching profession here in North Carolina than what we as teachers and citizens have been told by our own state. It's that mid-year part that needs to be kept in … Continue reading 15.6% – No. The Teaching Force In NC Is Not Stable.

From today's News & Observer: Actually much less. The article makes reference to a recent DPI report. Specifically page 19. Still far below the national average, but NC's average teacher pay is not near $58K. Of those over 21,500 (21,716.41) of those positions are veteran teachers who have graduate degree pay. They were "grandfathered" into … Continue reading Don’t Believe What DPI Says About Average Teacher Pay. Here’s Why.

From TeachNC (northcarolina.teach.org): What they are advertising here is that the average salary for teachers in NC is a little under $55,000 / year. That figure is one of the most grossly manufactured statistics in this state. Let’s lay bare the facts of how that figure has come about. One operative word here is “average”. … Continue reading The Average NC Teacher Salary Is Over $54,000? Here’s Why That Is Grossly Misleading.

It's back. With a different name. House Bill 146. In the current session, it’s called "The Taxpayer Protection Act." To many around the country, it’s called TABOR. The TAxpayer Bill Of Rights. Makes it sound like it truly benefits those in our state. It doesn’t. It’s just another catchy acronym that acts like a Trojan horse for something more … Continue reading The Amendment to Lower the Cap on Taxes Also Known as TABOR And It Could Cripple Our Public Schools