As of this post, there are thousands of vacancies in the state of North Carolina. According to a recent study, NC ranks 11th in teacher shortage rates. That report is based on this study of the number of teachers as measured against the population. One quick and effective action the state could take is to allow retired … Continue reading Time For This State To Allow Teachers To “Double-Dip”

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 Graduate Degrees Do Matter & NC Should Restore Graduate Degree Pay

The expansion of vouchers has been floated quite a bit this year. It’s happening. Almost as if it was scripted and arranged beforehand with the switch of Rep. Tricia to the GOP over “personal grievances.” It’s House Bill 823. The ultimate school choice bill. You might want to look at this part: This bill is … Continue reading If It’s Really “About Putting Students First,” Then Put It On The Ballot

So, how many bus drivers does your school system need? In the Wake County district (the state's largest and one of the largest in the nation), there are not enough bus drivers. Why? The pay is not high enough to recruit drivers. A large school district has a lot of students. A large school district … Continue reading Ya’ll Have Enough Bus Drivers? Another Indication That NC Is Not Fully Funding Public Schools

North Carolina has had record budget surpluses but refuses to acknowledge the LEANDRO decision that emphatically states that NC has failed to fully fund our public school system for decades. Teachers fill out a working conditions survey every other year for the state that has no questions about how teachers feel the state handles public … Continue reading 10 Intentionally Cruel Ironies About Public Education in NC

In less than three weeks, my high school will play its first football game. In fact, before students even take a class, a game will have been played and put in the record books. And the band will be there with them. There is a tradition at the end of each game at our school … Continue reading In Praise of the High School Band

If you teach long enough in the public schools, you will be fortunate enough to come across some great individuals who coach sports teams all the while teaching these very players lessons of life and success even in the wake of defeat. And I want to scream that they need to have much higher stipends. … Continue reading Public School Coaches Need Much Higher Stipends – ALL OF THEM!

Say in 2008, a school district had 1000 students in its school system and spent 10 million dollars in its budget to educate them. That’s a 10,000 per pupil expenditure. Now in 2022, that same district has 1500 students and the school system is spending 11.5 million to educate them. That district is spending more … Continue reading When Someone In North Carolina Says, “Well, We Are Spending More on Education Than Ever Before,” Then Tell Him This

My grandmother graduated from high school right after the end of WWII. My mother graduated from high school in the late 1960’s. I graduated from high school in the 1980’s, and thirty-something years later I am about to begin my 26th year of teaching. And just in my career, I can emphatically say that it is … Continue reading When Lawmakers Claim That Our Schools Are Getting Worse – The “Back When I Was In School” Fallacy

Imagine the state of public education in North Carolina right before the Great Recession. The “sides” are sound and strong. There is support from the state government on all sides. Look at those four sides as four different categories that need to be fairly monitored closely and supported adequately to keep public education going strong. … Continue reading They Are Tearing Down The Once Strong Walls Of NC Public Education