If you are a parent of a student in the public schools of North Carolina, you might have received this missive from the state superintendent today: Parents and caregivers, As you know, your child is unique. Just as all students have different strengths and likes, all students’ pathways to success will be different. For too … Continue reading Mark Johnson’s Version of the “American Dream” Neglects the American Reality For Many of Our Students

Last year from Rep. Larry Pittman of NC: This is a man who is also an ordained minister who called for arming teachers in North Carolina to avoid having “blood on their hands." A man who did not expand Medicare to children living in poverty in NC. That number is over %20 of all the … Continue reading I Am a “Loser Communist Democratic Teacher Thug” – And Proud of It

Did you know that North Carolina is one of only one of 14 states that had state laws that governed school calendars? The above graphic is from the Feb. 2017 Final Report to the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee on school calendars. What is also shows is that North Carolina was at the time … Continue reading Give School Systems Calendar Flexibility!

In May of 2014, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest helped to craft legislation to create a North Carolina Education Endowment Fund that would allow for tax deductible contributions to be made for supporting teacher pay. One of the initiatives of the fund was to sell specialty license plates. As reported in a Feb. 2015 News & Observer post … Continue reading Remembering Lt. Gov. Dan Forest’s “Education Endowment Fund” and Those License Plates For Teachers

This past Friday afternoon right after the ending school bell in the high schools rang (high schools end last of all levels) teachers in my district received an email from the system superintendent announcing that she took a position with the Department of Public Instruction. People may debate on how effective a superintendent was / … Continue reading My School System Needs a New Superintendent, One Who…

I am biased toward my own school. Won't deny that. But hearing that four students from my school won individual state championships in the state indoor track meet makes me proud and not just because of the hard work and the effort put into a mentally tough and physically challenging sport culminated in being first … Continue reading State Champions & Even Better People

From a February 1, 2019 column by Colin Campbell in the News & Observer concerning staff raises for Sen. Berger and Rep. Moore's staff: Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore have seen a lot of turnover on their staffs since 2017, but some of the staffers who stuck around have been rewarded … Continue reading NC is Not a “Prudent” Employer of Teachers: About Berger and Moore’s Recent Staff Raises

From WUNC.org from last December: "The General Assembly cut the budget line item for teacher professional development from the state budget during the recession and has never restored it. In 2008, the state budgeted $12.6 million for educator professional development. That line item has been reduced to zero. Now schools might pay for some professional … Continue reading The State of North Carolina Should Restore Professional Development in the State Budget

The GOP-led NC legislature’s 2013 decision to end graduate degree pay bumps for new teachers entering the teaching profession was not only misguided, but another wave in the assault on public education here in the Old North State. I confess there exist numerous studies that have shown that advanced degrees do not correlate with higher … Continue reading The North Carolina General Assembly Should Pass SB 28 – Restore Master’s Supplement for Teachers (And Include Other Vital Staff Members)

The following tweet appeared today: ExcelinEd is the think tank founded by Jeb Bush right after his tenure as the governor of Florida. Their donors (2018) include: Gates. Walton. Pearson. Zuckerberg. Koch. Charter Schools USA. And ExcelinEd was in NC today talking about how to improve Read to Achieve, the initiative passed in 2012 has … Continue reading Dear NC State Board of Education, Please Stop Listening to Jeb Bush