Can’t we all just get along? The relationship between the State Board of Education and State Superintendent Mark Johnson continues to be dysfunctional after the board objected to a provision in recent legislation. The General Assembly passed House Bill 374, which contains a small provision repealing two state board policies that, Section 27(a) stated, are...
Despite concerns from a handful of members, the State Board of Education voted April 5 to let Achievement for All Children operate the first Innovative School District school. Seven board members voted for AAC’s involvement, while Eric Davis, Wayne McDevitt, Becky Taylor, and Patricia Willoughby opposed it. Discussions about AAC spanned two days. Robeson County’s...
Superior Court Judge David Lee has rejected the State Board of Education’s request to be removed as a defendant in the long-standing Leandro case. The Leandro case started in 1994 when five rural school districts sued the state, arguing they couldn’t raise enough tax revenue to provide a quality education, while their wealthier neighbors could....
The N.C. Supreme Court has granted a temporary stay in a lawsuit involving State Superintendent Mark Johnson and the State Board of Education. The board filed the lawsuit after passage of House Bill 17, which gives Johnson direct supervision over the public school system. Under H.B. 17, Johnson would have sole authority over the employment...
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson’s first few months in office have been anything but boring. Johnson, a Republican and former member of the Winston Salem/Forsyth County school board, in November ousted incumbent Democratic Superintendent June Atkinson. In December, the General Assembly passed a law that stripped some responsibilities from the N.C. State...
RALEIGH — Some education items in the Senate budget will remain, House leaders say. But some will go. Rep. Craig Horn, R-Union, chairman of the House Committee on K-12 Education, told Carolina Journal the changes are imminent. Teacher pay gets top billing. The Senate budget provides an average 3.7 percent pay raise for teachers the first...
The North Carolina State Board of Education last month used a rare exemption to go behind closed doors and vote on a lawsuit against the state. Board members have yet to disclose which members supported and opposed the lawsuit, a move that’s at odds with public meeting standards, said Jonathan Jones, director of the Sunshine...
North Carolina’s public schools are in serious trouble, says the incoming superintendent, who expressed a sense of urgency in fixing the system. “Every day that we don’t take bold action for our students is the day our students lose. Every day that we don’t take bold action is the day our teachers lose,” new school...
Lieutenant governor says lawsuit will test relations between board and DPI; Senate leader Berger calls on board to drop plans to sue
The State Board of Education on Tuesday convened a special meeting to discuss the constitutionality of House Bill 17, but members adjourned without saying what they talked about or revealing their next move, if they have one. The substance of the meeting was held in closed session. H.B. 17, which Gov. Pat McCrory signed into...
Gov. Pat McCrory has nearly 30 days to decide what to do with House Bill 17, which would remove some appointment powers from Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper. McCrory’s term expires Dec. 31, as do the terms of some members of the General Assembly. But the governor has several options. When the legislature’s in session, a governor...
