Category Archives: Video

McCrory And Tillis Offer Teacher Pay Raise; Keep Tenure

Posted on June 26, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Yesterday, Governor McCrory and Speaker of the House Thom Tillis held a press conference to announce alterations to their original Teacher Pay Plan. This new plan will be part of a new bill.

“There will be no teacher in the state who, in a couple years, if they follow our plan, will make less than $35,000 a year,” McCrory said.

The governor said teachers would get paid more for having master’s degrees and schools would get more money for textbooks, which is a growing problem in the state. A new pilot program would also be set up which would award teachers based on experience, leadership, performance, and market value.

“All these things can happen without sacrificing 4,000 to 6,000 teachers’ assistants, without sacrificing Medicaid,” McCrory said. “We can also do this while meeting the educational needs to pre-k, colleges, and universities.” – ABC 11

So, in essence, all the changes made in the past year are now gone.

The new plan will give teachers at 5% raise, allow them to keep tenure and includes keeping teacher assistants. Tillis added that the Education lottery funds are not needed to support the proposed bill. On hand was NC Superintendent and CCSSO President Elect, June Atkinson. Apparently, this has her blessing yet was quoted by ABC 11 as saying it was ‘not nearly enough’. That figured, right? The Governor would do well to get rid of Common Core if he intends to keep this promise — the costs to NC for keeping and implementing it are estimated at over $640 million for just the first five years. That does not include testing.

Watch the clip from the press conference via News and Observer on YouTube: Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NCGA, Pat McCrory, Video | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Occupy Monday – The Final Countdown

Posted on June 21, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Diminishing returns. That’s Occupy Monday in a nutshell right now.

Turn out has been low and that’s being kind. Multiple arrestees had some nasty prior records. The public is tuning out their ‘big government is the answer, Amen!’ schtick. Local media coverage less than enthusiastic — even from the official Occupy Monday outlet, WRAL. National media has pretty much blown them off.

Maybe it’s the increasingly radical, hyperbolic rhetoric or perhaps it is because Moral Monday has truly morphed into what I’ve said it was all along: A revival of Occupy. It certainly would seem so given the announcement (scroll down)– “teach-in”. That’s very Occupyish. About the only things missing now are a drum circle, Mic-checks and someone relieving themselves in public.

Well we’re coming up on the final Moral Monday… we hope.

KEEP READING… Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), NC NAACP, NCGA, Occupy 2.0, Reverend Barber, Video | Tagged , | Comments Off on Occupy Monday – The Final Countdown

Occupy Monday Sues Over #NCGA Rules They Helped Create

Posted on June 14, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

The NC NAACP has really out beclowned themselves this time. The amount of lawfare the NAACP in NC generates could likely keep a medium sized firm happy with them as their only client. But I digress.

The NC NAACP are suing over the new NC General Assembly building rules — rules they in part helped create. I’ll explain that last part a bit more, but first, here’s the run down from WNCN.

Keep reading… Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), LEGAL, Moral Monday, NC NAACP, NCGA, Occupy 2.0, Reverend Barber, Unions, Video | 2 Comments

The ‘Common Core Is Just Standards’ Lie

Posted on May 29, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Anyone who has dug into Common Core and complained it has its tentacles into everything and is dictating how teachers teach has been hit with the proponent’s main line “the Common Core is just a set of standards”.

That line is a lie. Any parent paying attention to the proliferation of the eerily similar examples of overly convoluted Common Core math assignments coming from every state who has adopted the Core can tell you that. I’ve had the lovely experience of watching my own child struggle with such an assignment. When attempting to show him the quick, accurate way of writing the algorithm instead of a diagram of some kind accompanied with a paragraph on ‘how they know this answer’, my child melted down and told me, “No mom, I can’t do it that way! It’s not the way we’re supposed to do it. I have to do it the way the teacher did it or it’s wrong.”

Even now my body tenses and my teeth set on edge recalling that exchange.

By the way, I told him he can do it the way that he finds is best for him. That way was the algorithm. He now does it his way first to get the right answer and then puts what Common Core wants on the paper in order to get marked correct. This isn’t customization or personalization of education, this is training kids to jump through specific hoops. It’s not teaching critical thinking, it’s teaching obedience. This isn’t rigorous, this is developmentally inappropriate and serves as a mental beat down for our youngest learners.

Returning to the talking point that the Core is just standards, consider this article in the Statesville Record & Landmark: Continue reading →

Posted in Common Core, Video | Comments Off on The ‘Common Core Is Just Standards’ Lie

An NC Chamber Holds Common Core Propaganda Event – PT4 AUDIO

Posted on May 23, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

In the final installment of this series on the Common Core propaganda forum held by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, we have audio from the meeting courtesy of Kim Fink of the Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association. If you’re just tuning in, here is part one, two and three.
Mrs. Fink has been very engaged in the Common Core debate in North Carolina and the CCTA has been an invaluable resource on the issue. She and her husband were in attendance and have sent this audio to me. This audio supports all the previous installments in this series. I thank her for attending and for making this audio available to all who were unable to attend.

The audio is a little bit below the speaker list. I’ve got some notes underneath it, please give them a look as some of them should raise red flags. Read up on the real facts before listening. Speakers list per the GRCC site is below. Muriel Summers was a no-show. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, Video | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Who Runs #NCSen Bartertown? Moveon.org

Posted on May 12, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

With the latest news that Moveon.Org has suddenly endorsed Kay Hagan after she recently re-affirmed her support of Obamacare — the President’s signature law which caused over 300,000 North Carolinians to lose their policies and spiked rates across the state, I can’t help but think of Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome right now.

Who runs Bartertown? MoveOn.org runs bartertown! Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), POLITICS NC, Senate 2014, THE LEFT, Video | Tagged | Comments Off on Who Runs #NCSen Bartertown? Moveon.org