Remember when Mark Johnson talked about how the teacher starting salary in NC was really good? January 26, 2018: During a question-and-answer session Thursday at the N.C. School Boards Association’s policy conference in Raleigh, Johnson said that the base state starting salary of $35,000 for North Carolina teachers was “good money” and “a lot of … Continue reading Remembering When Mark Johnson Said…

A local supplement is an additional amount of money that a local district may apply on top the state’s salary to help attract teachers to come and stay in a particular district. While people may be fixated on actual state salary schedule, a local supplement has more of a direct effect on the way a … Continue reading A Fear Of Possible Next Cuts In WSFCS

Depending on when a permanent school superintendent is hired, WSFCS could have four different people occupying the top office in this system within the span of one and a half years (give or take a couple of months). With Catty Moore's final day fast approaching, the school board has hired Dr. Don Phipps to be … Continue reading So, We Have A New (Interim) Superintendent

The following "Letter to the Editor" ran today in the Winston-Salem Journal in a response to previous editorial concerning the WSFCS financial situation that was critical of lawmaker Donny Lambeth's response to the school board's request for help. And while there is plenty of blame that has yet to be placed on those involved in … Continue reading Hyperbole & Context: About That Recent LTE In The Winston-Salem Journal

Just remember that we do not have a new budget in North Carolina. In fact, But apparently, Raleigh is working on something.

When the same legislative body that votes for rate increases in utilities and health plans for state employees, but does not raise state employee salaries to at least offset those price increases, then the state is actively cutting pay for people like public school teachers. A new budget was not passed; therefore, the state automatically … Continue reading It’s Really Just A Cut In Salary For Teachers

Many have asked me over the years if a teacher can be a school board member and still be in the classroom. At least in my LEA, one cannot. Many teachers over the years have run for positions on the school board, but each has had to stipulate that he/she would step away from the … Continue reading Every Local School Board Should Allow A Public School Teacher To Serve

When you have a hiring freeze in place and just concluded yet another round of "layoffs" on top of multiple RIFs and then say you have vacancies to fill, then something seems wrong. As reported this past Tuesday evening: "Among the budget items discussed was news that recently cut employees could have the opportunity to … Continue reading We Are Hiring After RIFs And Layoffs?

Bottom line - if we now have to pay for something that had been paid previously by the school district as part of a working contract, then that means a loss of net income. A pay cut. A lowering of the local supplement. As reported last night on WXII.com, the WSFCS school board voted to … Continue reading WSFCS Just Literally Cut Our Benefits During The School Year

Seems that this state has a lot of classroom vacancies. And if you want to be one of the lucky candidates for any of these positions, remember that there are some “unwritten” but very apparent qualifications that need to be met before our lawmakers want you teaching our kids. 1. Have A Fear Of Calling Students … Continue reading Phil Berger’s Ideal Job Description Of The North Carolina Teacher