An Open Letter to Gov. McCrory Complete With a Song Dedication – Apologies to Gerry Rafferty

Dear Governor McCrory, Knowing that you just celebrated your 60th birthday, I thought I would send a song dedication to you. Specifically a rewritten version of Gerry Rafferty’s “Stuck in the Middle With You” recorded with the group Stealers Wheel. It’s a classic from the 70’s and it seems to really sum up the situation … Continue reading An Open Letter to Gov. McCrory Complete With a Song Dedication – Apologies to Gerry Rafferty

Willful Ignorance Is Not Bliss, But Rather Mean – McCrory’s Orwellian Contradiction

News that Gov. McCrory’s office asked public school leaders this past summer to find ways to cut their budget by as much as 2 percent should come as a surprise in an election year where he has touted his commitment to public education and a creation of a surplus in our current budget. But it … Continue reading Willful Ignorance Is Not Bliss, But Rather Mean – McCrory’s Orwellian Contradiction

North Carolina’s Man-Made Educational Climate Change

  NASA’s Global Climate Change website is dedicated to educating people about human influence on the environment. Under the “Scientific Consensus” tab it states, “Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals1 show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities” … Continue reading North Carolina’s Man-Made Educational Climate Change

Open Letter to Kami Mueller Concerning the NCAA, HB2, and “Political Peacocking” – Sorry, the Political Peacocking Bit Makes Me Laugh

Dear Ms. Meuller, I read with great feigned interest your statement on behalf of the NCGOP concerning the NCAA’s decision to remove all championship athletic games from the state of North Carolina because of their stance on HB2, otherwise known as the “bathroom bill.” It reads, “This is so absurd it’s almost comical. I genuinely … Continue reading Open Letter to Kami Mueller Concerning the NCAA, HB2, and “Political Peacocking” – Sorry, the Political Peacocking Bit Makes Me Laugh

Open Letter to Phil Kirk, Chairman Emeritus for the NC State Board of Education

Dear Mr. Kirk, I read with great interest your op-Ed for EdNC.org posted on September7, 2016 entitled “Outlandish myths about NC Republicans and education” (https://www.ednc.org/2016/09/07/outlandish-myths-nc-republicans-education/ )  It originally appeared in The News and Observer on September 6th . Your initial paragraph in which you recount your unparalleled service and experience with education both in public … Continue reading Open Letter to Phil Kirk, Chairman Emeritus for the NC State Board of Education

Map It And It Becomes Very Apparent That Poverty Affects Schools

Political leanings and lenses aside, sometimes data can create a picture so vivid that it is really hard to argue against the conclusions. Last week, the state of North Carolina released its school performance grades for the 2015-2016 school year. With pretty much the same parameters kept in place, the results really did nothing but … Continue reading Map It And It Becomes Very Apparent That Poverty Affects Schools

About That Letter to the Editor in the 9/1 Winston-Salem Journal Concerning “Johnny-Come-Lately Teachers” Who “Bicker”, “Complain”, “Cry”, “Whine” and Have “Little to Zero Standing”. It Deserves a Response.

I read with great interest (actually, many people did) your “Letter to the Editor” from September 1st entitled “Grateful for the raise” (http://www.journalnow.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/the-readers-forum-friday-letters/article_9eef5d77-bcad-5c1b-9274-b1c01d9e45fc.html) that praised the actions of the current administration and the legislature concerning public education. The full text follows as a reference. “Count me in as a teacher who refuses to bicker and … Continue reading About That Letter to the Editor in the 9/1 Winston-Salem Journal Concerning “Johnny-Come-Lately Teachers” Who “Bicker”, “Complain”, “Cry”, “Whine” and Have “Little to Zero Standing”. It Deserves a Response.

What is a Turd’oeuvre? Well It Has Something to do With A Plagiarized Letter To The Editor

Caution: I cuss in this one. Not too bad, but it might offend your olfactory nerves. I was fortunate to have an op-ed printed in the Winston-Salem Journal entitled “About those teacher slaries and raises…” - http://www.journalnow.com/opinion/columnists/stuart-egan-about-those-teacher-salaries-and-raises/article_556420c9-9f7e-5a7b-a7d6-35b8a91e484d.html. Ironically, in the same edition of the paper (August 26th) there was a Letter to the Editor from … Continue reading What is a Turd’oeuvre? Well It Has Something to do With A Plagiarized Letter To The Editor

About those teacher salaries and raises … – From the Winston-Salem Journal

Thanks to the folks at the Winston-Salem Journal for printing this. http://www.journalnow.com/opinion/columnists/stuart-egan-about-those-teacher-salaries-and-raises/article_556420c9-9f7e-5a7b-a7d6-35b8a91e484d.html  

Raleigh’s Real Commitment to “Recruit and Retain Effective Teachers”

The North Carolina Budget and Tax Center released a new report that pretty much verifies what many have said about the true intent on “recruiting and retaining” great teachers under the McCrory administration. As stated by BTC Director Alexandra Sirota and highlighted in NC Policy Watch on August 17, 2016, “As children, families, teachers and … Continue reading Raleigh’s Real Commitment to “Recruit and Retain Effective Teachers”