Yesterday, Gov. Roy Cooper issued this veto. The text of the official veto declaration says it all. There are two virtual charters in North Carolina. Remember last September when State Superintendent Mark Johnson was again bemoaning the “status quo.” He said, “When you use status quo strategies, you get status quo results.” Did Johnson make that … Continue reading This Veto on Virtual Charters Speaks Loudly

One of the most overused electioneering blurbs used by many multi-termed lawmakers in North Carolina this past election cycle was that our state has given the highest percentage “average” pay raise to teachers in the last four years. It was echoed again by Rep. Jeffrey Elmore (a teacher) in a recent misguided EdNC.org op-ed entitled … Continue reading North Carolina Has a Severe Teacher Shortage – Raleigh Deliberately Created It

From a recent Public School Forum of North Carolina’s report on top ten issues in NC education. Source: Kris Nordstrom

By now, many of you have seen the released letter by DPI to Amplify concerning their appeal of the iStation contract. In it, Mark Johnson lays out the argument that the second RFP that had voted to go with Amplify was canceled because of a confidentiality breach. He offer this text message that was supposedly … Continue reading About That Mysterious “Exhibit C” – The Supposed Shakespearean Text Message That “Secured” The iStation Contract

Yesterday, Mark Johnson delivered his letter to Amplify concerning their protest of iStation's contract with DPI. In it, he simply reaffirmed his "decision" to stay with iStation because: "Istation is the best diagnostic tool for the state of North Carolina. Istation received the contract award through a fair and objective process conducted by an evaluation committee … Continue reading 4 GLARING Inconsistencies Concerning The State Superintendent’s Letter to Ampify About Their Protest to iStation’s Contract

Remember those Cease & Desist letters sent out to three public school advocates a little over a week ago by iStation through the legal office of a man who also is the finance chair of the NC GOP? Those people questioned the process by which iStation has procured a contract through NCDPI and presented hard evidence … Continue reading Dear iStation, Why Aren’t You Sending Out More Cease & Desist Letters?

Think of it as a reading comprehension test question. Below is the text from an article appearing in today's Winston-Salem Journal. Republican leadership in the state House delayed Wednesday — for an 11th consecutive session — a vote on overriding Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s state budget veto. As has been the pattern, neither the veto override … Continue reading An EOG Question For Rep. Tim Moore

Read to Achieve has been deemed a failure - not because of the teachers, students, or schools involved, but because of implementation and its failure to boost support for Pre-K through second grades. Phil Berger was the champion of Read to Achieve being created in NC, and please do not forget that the iStation debacle … Continue reading Your Move Sen. Berger – Concerning iStation

Rep. Jeffrey Elmore talked in an op-ed today about how great teacher pay has become in North Carolina over the last few years. Besides never referring to the fact that furloughs and freezes were due to the Great Recession, Elmore clearly argues a fallacious talking point that seems to constantly need debunking. He said, When … Continue reading The Average NC Teacher Salary is $53,975. Here’s Why That is Misleading.

Rep. Jeffrey Elmore published an op-ed on EdNC.org today entitled "Governor’s budget veto creates uncertainty for students, teachers, and schools." It's pure political dribble from a lawmaker who championed SB599 a while back that created a teacher-preparation pipeline to address the very teacher shortage in NC that Elmore and his party have helped create. Read … Continue reading A Few Questions For Rep. Jeffrey Elmore Concerning His Misguided Op-Ed on the Current Budget