To say that last night's school board meeting was rather interesting would be an understatement. In the two years since this pandemic has altered the reality for communities and our schools, no place has seen as much vitriol spewed as the rooms that hold school board meetings. As mask mandates are being lifted and rates … Continue reading “Bonds For The Win” Or “Law & Order: School Board Meeting”

With a looming mask mandate decision on the horizon and vacancies still very high in all sectors of the school system, the decision to start tweaking the bell schedule in WSFCS is ill-timed and neglects the very obstacles that really stand in the way of our schools. On the school system website is an explanation … Continue reading Extending The School Day In WSFCS Will Not Solve Anything

From the front page of the Winston-Salem Journal this morning: House Bill 755 was filed last April. DURING TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. Senate Bill 700 was also filed last April. DURING TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. Post everything that is used and the sourcing of all of these materials? So that people can make judgement without the context … Continue reading The Hypocrisy of School “Transparency” Bills

It was a classic game - no Tom Brady, big plays, lead changes, fourth quarter heroics, and hopefully the best set of commercials you will see in a given year. The Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event annually in America as many who do not particulalry follow professional football come to watch the … Continue reading So, Did Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson Watch The Super Bowl Halftime Show?

Think of all of the factors that affect how well public schools can operate. Now take all of those factors and divide them up by who is responsible for them: elected officials and teachers. Here is the distribution: Actually there is one under the teachers column. If you want to blame teachers for the current … Continue reading So, You Want To Blame Teachers?

Throughout North Carolina, every local school board is wrestling with not just how to negotiate coming out of the pandemic. They are having to deal with problems fueled by partisan-fueled emotions. They are even having to consider this whole “CRT” discussion and the banning of books. I do not envy anyone having to fulfill the … Continue reading These Past Two Years Have Shown Us That Local School Board Elections Are That Important For Every NC School System

Todd Chasteen came to the State Board of Education in 2016 having been nominated by then Gov. Pat McCrory. Ironically, the senior education advisor to McCory at the time was current State Superintendent, Catherine Truitt. Maybe that is not ironic. Today, it was reported that Chasteen was resigning from the State Board of Education citing … Continue reading This State Board Of Education Member Is Resigning For Hypocritical Reasons

Teachers did not institute school performance grades that measure achievement on standardized test scores heavily over student growth. The North Carolina General Assembly did. Teachers did not remove longevity pay, graduate degree pay, due-process rights, and retiree health benefits. The North Carolina General Assembly did. Teachers did not create a non-transparent voucher system, rampant charter … Continue reading Don’t Like The State Of Public Education? Don’t Look At Teachers; Look At Who “Legislates” Them.

Our public schools are better than many lawmakers portray them to be – lawmakers 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 must improve schools” … Continue reading Our Public Schools Are Better Than The North Carolina General Assembly Wants You to Believe