"State Auditor Beth Wood says North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction will have to repay $18 million in federal money intended for students with disabilities because of department errors." Those words begin Ann Doss Helms's report for WFAE yesterday on the audit of DPI that was released last week right before another contentious NC State … Continue reading 7 Reasons Mark Johnson Is Responsible For This “Fireable” Offense: About That Audit Of DPI

Below is a map provided by EdNC.org that plots the most recent school performance grades across North Carolina. Below is the latest available map from NC DIT of broadband internet availability. And consider where some of the larger cities in North Carolina are and their proximity to other "metro" areas. Now superimpose the school performance grades with … Continue reading Mapping Broadband Connectivity & School Performance Grades Amidst COVID-19

On EdNC.org today, Republican candidate for State Superintendent published an op-ed entitled "Cutting through the noise of education reform and COVID-19." As the current "chancellor for WGU NC, an online, nonprofit university with 3,800 students in North Carolina," it is not surprising that she take the opportunity to pen this perspective to talk about online … Continue reading About State Super Candidate Catherine Truitt’s Latest Op-ed Concerning Online Learning And Education Reform Post COVID-19

We have no new budget. Still. And we are in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic which has altered the landscape of education for a time. Last week, Mark Johnson mentioned that this week is National Teacher Appreciation Week and flippantly offered an idea to reward teachers: beer. From a recentNews & Observer concerning the recent … Continue reading It’s Teacher Appreciation Week – How About Restoring Respect For The Teaching Profession

...that's exactly why he is on it. Remember this is Mark Johnson we're talking about. This past week Johnson in an attempt to remain somewhat relevant in Raleigh launched a rather interesting task force that had no current teachers or reps from the most populous areas of NC where COVID-19 has been most prevalent.  Here … Continue reading This Guy Is On Mark Johnson’s Schools Reopening Task Force – He Shouldn’t Be Near It, But…

Today, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest released this tweet. It's May 1st. Six months away from an election. And as you know, Forest has been campaigning to be governor for years. But look at the text of the tweet: "If this same trend exists in NC, the Governor has no moral, ethical or rational justification for … Continue reading Dan Forest’s Latest COVID-19 Tweet: Another Reason Why He Should Never Be Governor

Dear Mark Johnson, You spent less than two calendar years in an actual classroom. You never finished your only "term" on a local school board. In fact, you began to run for another office in North Carolina while you were supposedly "running" DPI. You walked into office with more power as a state superintendent through … Continue reading Why Did You Ever Run For State Superintendent? An Open Letter To Mark Johnson

Today, along with another stellar performance in a State Board of Education meeting, State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced the following: So, WHERE ARE THE TEACHERS? McKinney was a teacher until last school year. Jeffery Elmore is a teacher, but has spent more time in Raleigh supporting his party's stalling a budget process and extending the … Continue reading About Mark Johnson’s Schools Reopening Task Force – Where Are The Teachers?

Rep. Graig Meyer of Orange County has been a fierce advocate for public education and posted a side by side comparison of the Senate version and House version of the COVID-19 Bills (SB704 / HB 1038). It is worth looking at to see what is being debated in Raleigh that will affect our public schools, … Continue reading A Look At The Both The Senate And House Versions Of The Covid-19 Bills

A recent April 16th editorial in Durham's Herald-Sun highlighted the potential (actually likely) effects of the 2018 amendment that Republican lawmakers put on the ballot to cap state income tax rates (and corporate tax rates as well). In what now seems like the distant past of 2018, Republican state lawmakers moved to lock in their … Continue reading This Could Now Come Back To Haunt NC – Especially Public Education: 2018’s “TABOR” Amendment