From WUNC.org from last December: "The General Assembly cut the budget line item for teacher professional development from the state budget during the recession and has never restored it. In 2008, the state budgeted $12.6 million for educator professional development. That line item has been reduced to zero. Now schools might pay for some professional … Continue reading The State of North Carolina Should Restore Professional Development in the State Budget
The North Carolina General Assembly Should Pass SB 28 – Restore Master’s Supplement for Teachers (And Include Other Vital Staff Members)
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 here in the Old North State. I confess there exist numerous studies that have shown that advanced degrees do not correlate with higher … Continue reading The North Carolina General Assembly Should Pass SB 28 – Restore Master’s Supplement for Teachers (And Include Other Vital Staff Members)
Dear NC State Board of Education, Please Stop Listening to Jeb Bush
The following tweet appeared today: ExcelinEd is the think tank founded by Jeb Bush right after his tenure as the governor of Florida. Their donors (2018) include: Gates. Walton. Pearson. Zuckerberg. Koch. Charter Schools USA. And ExcelinEd was in NC today talking about how to improve Read to Achieve, the initiative passed in 2012 has … Continue reading Dear NC State Board of Education, Please Stop Listening to Jeb Bush
North Carolina: A State Where Ice Cream and Doughnuts Are Important Than Fully Funding Schools
If you have not read the latest post by the gifted teacher / writer Justin Parmenter on his blog Notes From the Chalkboard, then do so. Entitled "After ice cream, could state lawmakers address our practice of assigning F's to schools of poverty?", Parmenter talks about yet another empty bill presented in the NCGA. Yesterday … Continue reading North Carolina: A State Where Ice Cream and Doughnuts Are Important Than Fully Funding Schools
About That “State of the Teaching Profession in NC” Report
Today, a draft of a new 2019 state report on teaching was released. Entitled "State of the Teaching Profession in North Carolina," it chronicles last year's numbers as far as teacher attrition and turnover are concerned. As highlighted by NC Policy Watch's Clayton Henkel, here are the key stats involving teacher turnover: 94,909 – total number … Continue reading About That “State of the Teaching Profession in NC” Report
About the Funding of the Opportunity Grants – What is Kept From Traditional Public Schools
Budgets for the state of North Carolina are made biannually. The current budget that helps fund our schools was put together in 2017. Although, there was the power to come back to a budget and make adjustments in the summer fo 2018, a veto-proof majority led by ultra-conservative NCGA members made sure that the budget … Continue reading About the Funding of the Opportunity Grants – What is Kept From Traditional Public Schools
The NCGA’s Absolute Fear of the Veteran Public School Teacher
Veteran teachers openly discuss, study, and collaborate. And they fight for public schools. The powers that rule in the North Carolina General Assembly under Sen. Phil Berger and Rep. Tim Moore have been waging a war against public schools in our state for the last seven years. Under the guise of “reform,” GOP ultra-conservatives driven … Continue reading The NCGA’s Absolute Fear of the Veteran Public School Teacher
When Mark Johnson or Phil Berger Talk About “Average” Teacher Pay, They Fail to Mention…
Consider the following excerpt from the spring of 2018: The average salary for a North Carolina teacher has increased to more than $50,000 a year for the first time. Recently released figures from the state Department of Public Instruction put the average salary for a North Carolina public school teacher at $51,214 this school year. … Continue reading When Mark Johnson or Phil Berger Talk About “Average” Teacher Pay, They Fail to Mention…
My State Superintendent Will Eat Doughnuts For Me Because That’s What Real Leaders Do
The following tweet reminded me of how dedicated Mark Johnson really is in advocating for public schools here in North Carolina. Every two years the Department of Public Instruction issues a Teacher Working Conditions Survey to get a sense of how public school teachers feel about their working environment. Last year's was the first one … Continue reading My State Superintendent Will Eat Doughnuts For Me Because That’s What Real Leaders Do
Dear Mark Johnson, Is February 19th About This?
“INCLUDING MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.” “NO TAX DOLLARS WILL BE USED FOR THIS EVENT.” And from the Washington Post: "The Daily 202: Koch network poised to scale up efforts to remake K-12 education with a pilot project in five states." And as long as Johnson is allowing announcements about our public … Continue reading Dear Mark Johnson, Is February 19th About This?
caffeinated rage 