Jerry Tillman

The Privatization of North Carolina’s Public Schools – A Who’s Who

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Remember Michelle Rhee’s visit to North Carolina last year for a “closed-door” meeting (February 7th  ,2017) with lawmakers brokered by an educational lobbying body of business leaders called BEST NC (coupled with the NC GOP’s invitation to Betsy DeVos who had just been confirmed as Trump’s secretary of education)? It was another ominous omen of … Continue reading The Privatization of North Carolina’s Public Schools – A Who’s Who

What Would Mark Johnson Say About This? Probably Not Damn Thing

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Today Kris Nordstrom published a post on NC Policy Watch concerning a newly released study from Economic Research Initiatives at Duke University about how charter schools in North Carolina have negatively affected financing for traditional public schools. In "New study calculates charter schools’ negative financial impact on North Carolina school districts," Nordstrom starts, "A new report from … Continue reading What Would Mark Johnson Say About This? Probably Not Damn Thing

About the NC Gerrymandered Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Finance Reform

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Beginning this month, a “Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Finance Reform” is meeting in Raleigh to start “investigating” how to “best” fund public schools with state money. And they are now looking at possibly eliminating the salary schedule for public school teachers and what might be another disastrous, planned “reform.” As Billy Ball reported … Continue reading About the NC Gerrymandered Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Finance Reform

Dear Sen. Jerry Tillman, You Are Making Treebeard Very Angry and You Can’t Gerrymander Ents

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Even before he dropped the gavel on the Senate Finance Committee meeting, Sen. Jerry Tillman, a notoriously cantankerous Republican from Randolph County, seemed to be in a particularly bad mood. He mumbled about being angry. He barked at audience to take their seats, lest he start selling tickets. And with eight bills to plow through — … Continue reading Dear Sen. Jerry Tillman, You Are Making Treebeard Very Angry and You Can’t Gerrymander Ents

North Carolina’s Plagiarized Privatization of Public Schools – Or, How to be Unoriginal

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North Carolina is literally practicing privatization plagiarism. That’s great for alliteration fans, but for public school advocates it’s harmful, hurtful, hateful, disabling, devitalizing, devaluing, and debilitating. And they’re not even being original because all of these supposed “re-forms” are nothing more than rehashed failed policies that profit a few and hurt the many. Last month, … Continue reading North Carolina’s Plagiarized Privatization of Public Schools – Or, How to be Unoriginal

Every North Carolina Lawmaker Should Read The Recent Research From Stanford University About Public Investment in Schools. I Hear Stanford’s a Decent School.

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Public education is a sacred trust of the citizenry, not an open market for capitalistic ventures. If one wants to make the argument that states like North Carolina are free to allow for competition within its public school system, then that person would need to explain how that complies with the state constitution which explicitly … Continue reading Every North Carolina Lawmaker Should Read The Recent Research From Stanford University About Public Investment in Schools. I Hear Stanford’s a Decent School.

How John Oliver’s Segment On Charter Schools Speaks to North Carolina

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If you have any interest in why the charter school industry has been under the spotlight in this election year in North Carolina, you might want to check out a segment from the August 22, 2016 episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. If you have HBO GO then you can watch all the … Continue reading How John Oliver’s Segment On Charter Schools Speaks to North Carolina

The Ignoramasaurus Rex – How Gov. McCrory’s Claim on Average Teacher Pay is Not Really Real

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Governor McCrory recently signed off on the budget for the next year and as expected he did it in electioneering style. He went to an elementary school in Monroe and used the opportunity to highlight his “commitment” to teachers. According to Katherine Peralta’s report in the Charlotte Observer (http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article89575217.html), “Gov. Pat McCrory signed the state … Continue reading The Ignoramasaurus Rex – How Gov. McCrory’s Claim on Average Teacher Pay is Not Really Real

Outsourcing Our Kids For Profit – Rep. Rob Bryan and Sen. Chad Barefoot Will Have Much to Answer For in The Future

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Doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results is a classic definition of insanity. Thinking it will be different because you changed localities is nothing more than hoping for a geographical cure. Neither is very healthy. But if the true motive behind it is profit, then people might just say anything … Continue reading Outsourcing Our Kids For Profit – Rep. Rob Bryan and Sen. Chad Barefoot Will Have Much to Answer For in The Future