Hard to look at this when you know that the surplus has been built on the back of under-funding public education. Yes, NC is a great place to conduct business for business owners. Consider how low the corporate tax rates are. That headline from EdNC.org above highlights a report from the Education Law Center. That’s NC way down … Continue reading That’s Not A $3 Billion Surplus. It’s A Moral Deficit.

It's good that we are getting the important things done first in Raleigh as the NC General Assembly comes together for the first session of the 2023 year. Cookies are a big thing. If you don't like cookies, maybe a fried apple pie? Hard to fathom eating cookies or a fried apple pie without something … Continue reading North Carolina: Where Cookies, Fried Apple Pies, And Grape Juice Are More Important Than Fully Funding Public Education

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

The very lawmakers who claimed that public education in North Carolina needed to be reformed because it was failing our students have had over a decade to make things better. In this last decade, North Carolina’s public school system has actually been surgically weakened by our state government instead of strengthened. Here are a few … Continue reading A Decade Of “Reforming” Public Education In NC Has Been A Complete Failure

With all of the talk about the rather misnamed "Parents' Bill of Rights" legislation being rushed in the NC General Assembly, it seems obvious that the aim of those in Raleigh is to weaken public education even further. To have a bill that literally says "to enumerate the rights of parents to DIRECT THE UPBRINGING, … Continue reading Actually, NC Needs A Students’ Bill Of Rights.

One might think that allowing voters to decide who serves on the NC State Board of Education would be good and democratic. As of right now members are appointed to represent different parts of the state (as well as those Council of State members automatically included on the state board. But while voters might get … Continue reading They Want to Gerrymander The State Board Of Education

Thou shall not bear false witness about how the NC General Assembly funds its public school system. Especially when you are a seven-term state representative who has been a part of the damaging group of lawmakers who have attacked public education this last decade. And he's a minister on top of that. In the video … Continue reading Thou Shall Not Lie! NC Is 48th – Not 10th.

As August approaches, teachers will begin a new school year and their “step” will increase by another year. That “step” is the number of years served in schools. Not long ago, teachers who served the state for at least ten years would receive what was called “longevity” pay as part of their commitment to public … Continue reading Remember Longevity Pay? It’s Now Over Eight Years That Teachers Have Been Denied.

In major political cycles, it is a strong bet that most of the signs that I will see on the sides of roads and in yards will pertain to who is running for the local school board. In my school system, all seats are up for grabs every four years. They are elected by those … Continue reading Parents Don’t Need A “Bill Of Rights” – Parents Already Control Public Education In NC (Some Are Just Louder Than Others)

Below is a screenshot from the statutes of the General Assembly concerning the “duties” of teachers. They include a variety of “duties,” some more defined than others: discipline, “teaching,” reporting, provide for well-being, medical care, keep order, etc. Now throw in some other factors and variables that have a direct effect on those “duties” like … Continue reading “Ratting Out” Transgender Students To Parents Should Never Be Part Of A Teacher’s Job