Not long ago,  I caught a tweet from my school’s spirit club about “theme nights” for the upcoming football season. Those themes are for all of the games – home and away.  And students will come to those games – home and away. And they will scream their heads off. And they will chant. And … Continue reading Friday Night Lights – The Power of the Student Section

In the current session, it’s called Senate Bill 75. 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 destructive.   Acronyms are easy to shape and easier … Continue reading The Amendment to Lower the Cap on Taxes, Also Known as TABOR – A Tourniquet Around the Bloodlines of Our Republic and it Could Cripple Our Public Schools

As the midterms approach and partisan electioneering is ramping up, there is one particular item that hopefully voters will not forget when deciding to cast a ballot in November, especially if public education is a focal point for making a decision. On Aug. 1st, the News and Observer ran a report entitled "Give us the … Continue reading Dear NCGA, Where is the $730 Million You Owe Us? Signed, North Carolina School Districts

Classes may not start for another couple of weeks and teachers will be in classrooms for pre-planning beginning Thursday, but... the Village is open. Football. Soccer. Volleyball. Women's Tennis. Field Hockey. Cross-Country. Women's Golf. Cheerleading. Dance Team. The summer camps. The scrimmages. The workouts. The practices. Now go out and support them. All of them. … Continue reading Malcolm is Ready for Titan Athletics – The Village Opens This Week

With the effects of House Bill 17 from the surreptitious special session of December in 2016, Mark Johnson became the most enabled incoming state superintendent in state history. He has powers that even his predecessor did not possess one-tenth the magnitude of. And considering that he ran against her adherence to the “status-quo”, that’s rather … Continue reading HB17: The Power Grab for Mark Johnson From That Special Session in December of 2016 – Remembering Why We Marched in May and Will Vote in November

When Bill Cobey announced his resignation from the State Board of Education in July effective in September, it seemed coincidental. But maybe not. Since then two other members have submitted resignations from the SBE. Alex Granados reported today for EdNC.org: "Also since the resolution of the Supreme Court case and reorganization at DPI, Cobey, as … Continue reading 3 Members of the NC State Board of Education Have Resigned To Help Public Schools

“At DPI, we want to transform our education system to one that uses 21st century best practices so students and educators have access to unique learning experiences personalized for their individual needs and aspirations.” – Mark Johnson from “North Carolina Public Schools Accelerating into 2018” in EdNC.org (https://www.ednc.org/2017/12/20/north-carolina-public-schools-accelerating-2018/). The term “personalized learning” has become a bit … Continue reading The Myth of the Buzzwords – About “Personalized Instruction” in North Carolina and the Need to Invest in PEOPLE

When an NC lawmaker makes a claim about how well they have treated public education, the whole story may not be told – only a glossy version. In this season of electioneering and rather important midterms, it is important to know that the biggest part of the iceberg is under the water level where most … Continue reading Debunking 13 Common Electioneering Claims Made by Current Politicians Concerning NC’s Public Schools

Funded 120 reading specialists for the next school year at low-performing schools ($50k per). Funded Governor's School for a few years. Covered the budget cut at DPI this year. Funded a full restoration of Teacher Fellow Program for a while. Funded teacher assistant positions around the state for the coming year. Funded professional development for … Continue reading Instead of iPads, That Six Million Dollars Could Have…

Remember when Sen. Chad Barefoot said this in February of 2017 concerning House Bill 13? “For years, the General Assembly has been sending tens of millions of dollars to districts for new classroom teachers for the purpose of lowering classroom sizes,” he said. “The question we keep asking over and over again is, ‘What did … Continue reading Class Size Chaos: The NCGA’s Deliberate Distortion of the Truth – Remembering Why We Marched in May and Will Vote in November (#10)