Lord Farquaad: "Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make." Remember DeSantis's COVID-19 pandemic response? And then there was this. Actually many died for the sacrifice of making a political statement. Lord Farquaad: "I'm not the monster here, YOU are! You and the rest of that fairytale trash, poisoning … Continue reading Gov. Ron DeSantis Is Our Modern Day Lord Farquaad

Education journalist Matt Barnum's report on teacher turnover rates on March 6, 2023 on Chalkbeat.com tells a much bigger picture about the state of the teaching profession here in North Carolina than what we as teachers and citizens have been told by our own state. It's that mid-year part that needs to be kept in … Continue reading 15.6% – No. The Teaching Force In NC Is Not Stable.

From today's News & Observer: Actually much less. The article makes reference to a recent DPI report. Specifically page 19. Still far below the national average, but NC's average teacher pay is not near $58K. Of those over 21,500 (21,716.41) of those positions are veteran teachers who have graduate degree pay. They were "grandfathered" into … Continue reading Don’t Believe What DPI Says About Average Teacher Pay. Here’s Why.

From TeachNC (northcarolina.teach.org): What they are advertising here is that the average salary for teachers in NC is a little under $55,000 / year. That figure is one of the most grossly manufactured statistics in this state. Let’s lay bare the facts of how that figure has come about. One operative word here is “average”. … Continue reading The Average NC Teacher Salary Is Over $54,000? Here’s Why That Is Grossly Misleading.

It's back. With a different name. House Bill 146. In the current session, it’s called "The Taxpayer Protection Act." 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 … Continue reading The Amendment to Lower the Cap on Taxes Also Known as TABOR And It Could Cripple Our Public Schools

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 that continues here in the Old North State. And the very person who has influenced more policy on public education since 2013, Sen. … Continue reading Here’s A Way To Recruit & Retain Great Teachers In NC – Restore Graduate Degree Pay

Please consider something before attacking the school, teacher, administration, and/or school board. Go through all of your student's social media, scrolling history on the internet, all text messages, and other media that might be on the phone/computer your student has it his/her disposal. Then watch all of the movies and television / streaming shows he/she … Continue reading If You Are A Parent Who Is Going To Challenge A Book Taught In High Schools, Then …

Multiple calendar flexibility bills have been filed in the past several years to allow schools in North Carolina to open their doors earlier in August so fall semesters end before the winter break and get exams finished before students leave for a couple of weeks. One such bill actually passed the NC House chamber with … Continue reading One Man’s Ego Overrules An Entire State Public School System? It Does In NC.

We are pushing to get a state cookie. And an official fried apple pie festival. Hard to fathom eating cookies or a fried apple pie without requiring something to drink in our public schools. Might as well make the red herring the official state bird. Why? Because it is honored so much in Raleigh. Supt. … Continue reading The State Superintendent’s Quest To Make The Red Herring The NC State Bird

Hard to look at this when you know that the surplus has been built on the back of under-funding public education. Yes, NC is a great place to conduct business for business owners. Consider how low the corporate tax rates are. That headline from EdNC.org above highlights a report from the Education Law Center. That’s NC way down … Continue reading That’s Not A $3 Billion Surplus. It’s A Moral Deficit.