Here are some of the North Carolina education news highlights from last week. Updates include teacher pay rankings released, school safety committee, NAEP and Common Core, NC Teacher of the Year, National Charter School Week, legislative news and other education-related various updates.
Quick education hits from last week at LL1885
- Chapel Hill Pre-K Teacher Assistant Charged in Connection with Alamance County Homicide
- Cash Complaining WCPSS Board Paying “Equity Affairs” Employees Over $300,000
- Report: 1 in 10 K-12 Kids Will Be Sexually Abused By A Teacher
- Cooper on School Safety: Give Me $130 Million to Train “Counselors to Cafeteria Workers”
- WCPSS hires Southern Poverty Law Center SJW to ‘Equity Affairs Dept’
NEA releases annual National Teacher Pay Rankings
The latest NEA report cites that national average teacher salary to be $59,660. This number does not include benefits or skill related bonuses.
According to the NEA report, the average salary for North Carolina public school teachers increased from 2016 by $2,000 to land at $49,970. However, that number used by the NEA is not correct. The accurate number provided by NC Department of Public Instruction is $51,214.
The state’s ranking according to the report is now 37th. However, that is based on the lower number the NEA cites. If the NEA was using the corrected number, NC would be at 35, ahead of South Carolina.
As Terry Stoops at the John Locke Foundation notes, the “NEA ranking does not include benefits or deferred compensation, account for differences in the experience level of teachers and, most importantly, adjust for cost of living.”
Stoops did the calculations and using the cost of living formula, NC’s national rank jumps nearly ten spots to 29th.
North Carolina is in the top five for fastest rising teacher pay for the second year in a row. The NEA ranking report ranks NC 2nd for fastest rising teacher pay for 2016-17. The prior year’s report ranked NC at 1st.
The perpetually protesting and complaining NC Association of Educators was, of course, unimpressed with NC’s continued improvement in teacher pay ranking. The organization, which has refused to furnish the state auditor with its membership numbers for multiple years in a row, pivoted to per-pupil spending as their new drum to bang.
No matter what the legislature does for education, it’s never enough. Teachers are choosing protests over parents and children.
The NEA cites the national average amount spent per-pupil to be $11,642 for calendar year 2017. North Carolina spent an average of $9,329 on each public school student in 2017, which is close to a $300 increase from 2016. North Carolina 41st in this area in 2016 and has jumped to 39th for 2017.
A reminder when it comes to education and per-pupil spending:
NC Teacher of the Year revealed
Williams’ Freebird McKinney is NC Teacher of the Year for 2018. McKinney is a social studies teacher at Walter Williams High School.
He was the Alamance-Burlington School System Teacher 2017 District Teacher of the Year and was named 2018 Piedmont Triad Region Teacher of the Year.
As Teacher of the Year, McKinney will receive:
- $2,000 for McKinney; $1,000 for Walter Williams High School
- Funding for McKinney to attend the national conference of his choice
- A trip to China during summer 2018 with the 2017 Global Teachers Program under Go Global NC
- The offer of a one-year car lease on a 2017 Chevy Cruz or $1,000 check through Dick Shirley Automotive
- A weekend car rental from Cox Toyota
- Various gift cards for dry cleaning, a makeover, purchase of work clothing, etc.
- A membership to Alamance Citizens for Education’s Classroom Closet and a stocked supply cart
- A scholarship to Sylvan Learning Center to be redeemed by McKinney’s family or to be designated for a student
Read more about McKinney here and here.
National Charter School Week is Coming
National Charter Week is coming up the week of May 7-11
See more here on ways to celebrate school choice, charters and make a difference in your local educational options.
Speaking of Charter schools, there’s a new ‘thing’ out there being peddled by the Common Core pushing Fordham Institute. That new thing is “Charter Deserts.” I kid you not.
Over the weekend, I gave Fordham’s new report the mocking picking over it deserves in this Twitter thread.
NAEP and Common Core
The latest NAEP scores have cemented the failure of Common core, yet Superintendent Mark Johnson seems to be passing on this perfect chance to boot Common Core.
NC Public Schools latest newsletter basically says ‘Hey, don’t worry about NAEP scores NC performed “at similar levels” as everyone else.’
Despite the NC DPI’s spin and the stagnant and falling NAEP scores, Supt. Johnson has made no moves to get rid of the standards and seems to be fine following June Atkinson’s failed policy of keeping Common Core.
Reminder: Johnson campaigned that he would ‘address Common Core’:
Goal: Address Common Core –
The rushed implementation by the state of the Common Core standards created a heavy burden on students, parents, and teachers. Whether North Carolina continues with the Common Core standards is a decision in the hands of our state representatives. While Mark supports higher expectations for our students, new standards cannot be successfully implemented without adequate preparation, effective professional development for teachers, the support of teachers and parents, and local control. If the General Assembly decides to withdraw from Common Core, the school system must be prepared to aid teachers with the next set of standards (and avoid a repeat of Common Core’s implementation) as well as give close attention to how best prepare students for nationally standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT, which will be adjusted to align with Common Core. If the General Assembly does not withdraw from Common Core, the school system must take every action possible to assist teachers, through the sharing of best practices and effective professional development opportunities, with its implementation.
Legislative News
Over the last few weeks, multiple committees have been meeting regularly – including the School Safety committee and it’s sub-committees.
House Select Committee on School Safety’s Student Physical Safety and Security Working Group met on Tuesday, April 17. The main focus was School Resource Officers (SRO).
See details here.
Speaking of School Safety, a non-student was charged by police for inciting a riot at Athens Drive High School in Wake County. The district has a long history with fighting and violence issues.
Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities met on April 13th where a draft report of their initial work on expanding opportunities for applicable students was discussed. View all the draft materials here.
The Student Health Working Group of the Select Committee on School Safety met on Monday, April 23, during which Committee Members continued review of the roles of school personnel as related to student mental health. The committee heard from four presenters:
- Liz Newlin, RN, BSN, NCSN, Immediate Past President of the School Nurse Association of North Carolina (SNANC) (Presentation)
- Sandra Williams-McGlone, Bertie County Schools, President-elect, North Carolina School Social Workers Association (Presentation)
- Deborah Richardson, Alliance Behavioral Healthcare School Based Care Coordination Supervisor (Presentation)
- Dr. Sue Kreuser, Healthful Living Director of Carteret County Schools and individuals from Newport Middle School (Presentation)
The Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Finance Reform met on April 25.
A presentation was given by Dr. Marguerite Roza, Director, Edunomics Lab, Georgetown University and Senior Research Affiliate, on various funding models for schools and the possible impacts of each. The presentation reviewed the current funding system used by the state and placed an emphasis on increasing local spending flexibility. View the meeting materials here.
The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee will meet on May 1.
The Select Committee on School Safety will meet on May 2.
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