Vacancies for jobs only tell part of the story. The calculated narratives about how badly our public schools have been performing for the last ten years are manufactured on half-truths and bolstered by a glaring lack of proper funding. When a state is sitting on billions of dollars in surplus, throws hundreds of millions more … Continue reading Dear North Carolina, You Are Losing Your Teachers

From the News & Observer last spring: 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) positions are veteran teachers who have graduate degree pay. They were “grandfathered” into that … Continue reading Don’t Believe What Raleigh Says About Average Teacher Pay. Here’s Why.

Before the Great Recession: In 2023 with a massive state surplus and a court ordered LEANDRO decision:

Sen. Phil Berger and his cronies have had 12 years to “improve” our public education system. 12. 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  3. Graduate Degree … Continue reading They’ve Had 12 Years To “Fix” Public Education. Instead They Have Been Tearing It Apart.

The Economic Policy Institute releases a report every year that tracks what is called the “teacher pay penalty.” What is that? EPI says it occurs when teachers “are paid less (in weekly wages and total compensation) than their nonteacher college-educated counterparts, and the situation has worsened considerably over time. And NC doesn’t fare well. The … Continue reading Do You Know What NC’s Teacher Pay Penalty Is?

There are changes that should have been made long ago about how the NCHSAA governs high school sports. Just the amount of money that it was sitting on during a time when schools were in need of funds did warrant investigation. But the answer is not what the NC General Assembly put into law. In … Continue reading The NC High School Athletic Association Should Be Governed By Coaches & Athletic Directors

“They need someone who will celebrate the good things happening in our public schools, and who will make them the best they can be.” And there so many good things happening in our public schools.

Ten years ago teachers in North Carolina could receive an increase in salary and a higher certificate if they held graduate degrees. That does not happen any longer. Ten years ago teachers in North Carolina could receive due-process rights after a few years of teaching to allow themselves a chance for defense if their jobs … Continue reading The Endgame: To Make Public School Teaching A Short-Term Contract Job In North Carolina

From our State Treasurer back in 2017: “Did You Know? During 2017, the state spent $3.3 billion on medical and pharmacy benefits. At the same time, costs have increased 5 to 10 percent while funding for the Plan only saw a 4 percent increase. In addition, the state has a $34 billion unfunded liability for … Continue reading Open Enrollment Is Approaching – Remember That 2017 Letter From the State Treasurer to Teachers About the State Insurance Plan?

Go back a few years - say before the Great Recession. 2008. If you started as a teacher with a 4-year degree you would make 30,430 / year. If you planned on earning a master's degree you could with that same pay scale expect to almost double that amount in salary by the time you … Continue reading $2710 Less A Year In Actual Dollars: Comparing Veteran Teachers With Graduate Degrees From 2008 – 2023