Our public schools are better than many lawmakers and office candidates portray them to be – people who have never spent time as educators. A lot better. And the problem is not the schools. The problem is the lawmaking body that controls the narrative of how schools are performing. With the constant dialogue that “we … Continue reading Our Public Schools Are Better Than Mark Robinson & Michele Morrow Want You to Believe

When August approaches, teachers 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 schools. … Continue reading This Teacher Has Lost Over $15K In Longevity Pay. What About You, Veteran Teacher?

Yes. Election Day is approaching. You made it this far. You threw around terms like “CRT,” “learning loss,” “mask mandates,” “indoctrination,” and “transparency,” added to them some righteous anger, and you put together a loud campaigns that based its platform on weak foundations and fictitious culture wars. But the office that you seek is much … Continue reading To The State Superintendent Candidate Who Knows Nothing About How Schools Really Operate

Go back a few years – say before the Great Recession. 2008. If you started as a teacher with a 4-year degree you would make 30,430 / year. If you planned on earning a master’s degree you could with that same pay scale expect to almost double that amount in salary by the time you … Continue reading $2710 Less A Year In Actual Dollars: Comparing Veteran Teachers With Graduate Degrees From 2008 – Now

The current General Assembly should be very scared of us public school teachers and our supporters. That’s because what had originally looked like an election year to simply resupply the NCGA with more conservatively minded demagoguery has now morphed into a debate about how our state government should serve citizens and fully fund our public … Continue reading NC Public School Teachers Are Strong in Numbers – Please Vote

So, I just completed the 2024 Teacher Working Conditions Survey. Really felt heard. Not really. There is still one glaring shortcoming about the Teacher Working Conditions Survey issued by the state every two years in the spring: it should ask about teachers’ views not only of their school, but of their perceptions of the state leadership. … Continue reading What If NC Had A Teacher Working Conditions Survey With Questions About State Leadership?

Every day last week for "Read Across America Week" State Superintendent Catherine Truitt tweeted out a selected text that she found worthwhile to share with others who follow her social media. One of them was this: Specifically, It is the latest version of BEST NC's annual "Facts & Figures" publication. If you have been paying … Continue reading These People Should Not Craft Policy For NC Public Education – Why BEST NC Is Not “Best” For NC

North Carolina's Department of Instruction released its latest report on teacher retention and teacher candidates data. EdNC.org did a post on initial findings summing up quickly with: A quote from State Board Chair Eric Davis really stood out to this teacher. “If you care about the next generation of North Carolinians, you will support investing … Continue reading About DPI’s Latest Report On Reducing The Number Of Career Teachers In North Carolina

Lots of applications for vouchers were submitted this year. It's by design. In fact, there will be many families who will be denied a voucher because the demand was higher than what was allotted. AGAIN, THAT WAS BY DESIGN. First, look at Public Schools First of North Carolina's report on the application process for vouchers … Continue reading Part Of The Plan To Privatize Public Education: Over Half Of NC’s Voucher Applications From Families Making More Than 115K/Year.

In short, many of the people who set policy in Raleigh are banking on the premise that educators in NC are not truly knowledgeable of all the facets of pubic education to really see how matters can be manipulated for special interests. Educators wear many hats, have various undefined expectations, are constantly bombarded with tasks, … Continue reading We Must Be Educated About Public Education – 10 Things All Educators & Public School Advocates In NC Should Know.