"My family is the biggest contributor of soft money to the Republican National Committee. I have decided to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right. We do expect something in return. We expect to foster a conservative governing philosophy consisting of limited government and … Continue reading Following the Money – Looking at Who Helped Finance Mark Johnson’s 2016 Campaign

Last summer on July 24th, Mark Johnson announced a reorganization at the Department of Public Instruction, one of the many results of a court case that took over a year to settle with tax payer money and an audit that cost over a million dollars which said that DPI was underfunded. Dear Colleagues: As most … Continue reading One Year Ago – The Reorganization of a Still Shrinking DPI

Remember when you received this message from Dale Folwell, the state treasurer, at the end of 2018? Simply put, his letter was rather insulting, at least to me and to some other teachers. I could not help to think that in a missive meant to outline benefits to a person whom “North Carolina values,” I … Continue reading This Teacher Is Mad At Our State Treasurer Because I Don’t Know What Is Happening With The State Health Plan

It is perfectly lawful to donate to a political campaign, and with the Citizens United case decision from the Supreme Court a few years back, it is now lawful for corporations to donate money through political action committees (PACs) and Super PACs. However, while it is lawful, it doesn't mean that some interesting ethical questions … Continue reading Follow The Money – Looking At Political Contributions Among Those Involved With The iStation Contract

This morning, the NC Families For School Testing Reform held a press conference calling for a formal investigation into NCDPI's controversial contract with iStation. There is a full video of the rally courtesy of WRAL in Raleigh here.

Today, the Raleigh News & Observer printed a report entitled “1 in 5 NC students don't attend traditional public schools.” in which T. Keung Hui gave what is now an annual overview of the continuing trend of more and more students leaving traditional public schools and attending private, charter, and home schools. Twenty percent of North Carolina’s … Continue reading “1 in 5 NC students don’t attend traditional public schools” – And It’s a Deliberate Plan

This morning my friend Justin Parmenter, whose advocacy of public education here in North Carolina is unmatched, published a post on his blog Notes From the Chalkboard that discusses his views on events that have happened this week concerning investigating Mark Johnson's actions in awarding a contract under secretive circumstances. Justin was one of three … Continue reading Why We Need To Allow Teachers To Get Into “Good, Necessary Trouble”

If you were not aware, Amplify, the company that produces mClass, had a meeting today with DPI officials concerning the secretive process in which a contract was awarded to iStation. Amplify invited some pubic school advocates from NC to sit in on the meeting. Susan Book, founder of Save Our Schools NC!, Suzanne Parker Miller, … Continue reading NCDPI – Scared of Public School Advocates

Billy Ball is the Managing Editor of NC Policy Watch. Before that, he was their Education Reporter. This blog has referred to his work more than any other reporter. And this article is a must-read. 

“Everyone else is doing it” doesn’t cut it. North Carolina’s Students Deserve Better than Istation Chelsea M. Bartel, PhD School Psychologist, NC Licensed Psychologist (LP) 22 states and the District of Columbia. Read the full version here.