This is certainly not too surprising given the way this state has treated its social services and its employees. From last August: “The North Carolina State Health Plan may be unable to stay afloat by fall 2026, according to State Treasurer Dale Folwell. Why the state legislature is withholding the funds needed to keep the … Continue reading So, How’s The New Health Care Plan Working For You?

Renaming large bodies of water and winners of duly elected offices seem to be on the menu today. First: "The North Carolina Supreme Court issued an order on Tuesday blocking the state from certifying a winner in the race for a seat on the high court." The highest court of law in the state actually … Continue reading The “Gulf Of America” & The Horrible Civics Lesson Being Taught At The NC Supreme Court

That “slide” above is from a 2019 presentation about the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS) Retirement Planning. 2019 was before the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be interesting and predictably disheartening to question LEA HR directors about how many calls they are fielding from veteran teachers concerning retirement and early retirement requirements and possibilities. As … Continue reading NC Doesn’t Have To Just Worry About Recruiting Teacher Candidates. It Needs To Worry About Retaining Current Teachers.

Sen. Phil Berger and his cronies have had over 12 years to “improve” our public education system. 12. More than the number of grades in a standard progression through a public school. Here are a few of the actions taken in those 12+ years. 1. Teacher Pay Kept Well Below National Average 2. Removal of Due-Process Rights  … Continue reading They’ve Had Over 12 Years To “Fix” Public Education. Instead They Have Been Tearing It Apart.

If you have been a teacher in North Carolina for at least 20 years, you will remember that public school teachers do not get longevity pay any longer. Similar to an annual bonus, longevity pay is something that all state employees in North Carolina — except, now, for teachers — gain as a reward for continued service. … Continue reading So, Are Public School Teachers State Employees Or Local Employees? (Depends On Who Doesn’t Want To Raise Salaries).

Oftentimes, most of the bills and mandates that get thrown around in Raleigh during the long and short sessions go unseen in the public eye. There is just not enough time and bandwidth to research everything much less know where to investigate. Added to that is the intentional misleading maneuvering that goes into crafting legislation … Continue reading How To Track NCGA Education Bills

Remember that the NC Supreme Court failed to act on the LEANDRO court decision... again. Remember that this has been the trend for over a decade. WFAE's report states: The Education Law Center's 2024 report on "Making the Grade" can be found here. The shift in NC's willingness to fund its public schools came as … Continue reading We Still Suck At Funding Our Public Schools

As we ready ourselves for another new calendar year and return to begin the second half of our school year, please remember all those people who could have done the right thing and helped public education more. From delaying budgets, betraying voters, to expanding nontransparent vouchers, those who qualify for copious lumps of coal are … Continue reading The Lumps Of Coal For 2024

"We conclude that teacher assistants are a cost-effective means of raising student achievement, especially in reading." North Carolina has over 7400 fewer teacher assistants than it did thirteen years ago. Let me repeat: North Carolina has over 7400 fewer teacher assistants than it did over a decade ago. When study after study published by leading education … Continue reading This New Year Is An Opportune Time To Talk About Investing In More Teacher Assistants

One in five state jobs in North Carolina is vacant. Ned Barnett's op-ed in the News & Observer accurately shows why this is a deliberate problem. "After years of the Republican-controlled legislature handing out stingy raises and short-term bonuses, state employees’ inflation-adjusted pay has decreased, benefits have eroded and job vacancies have soared. Republican lawmakers, … Continue reading 20% Of NC’s State Jobs Are Vacant. And That’s Not Even Counting Teachers.