As I listened Tuesday to a N.C. House committee discuss an alcohol bill, I thought about how America debated the 18th Amendment. In 1917, and for years after that. I thought about how we spoke to each other — those influenced by the…
More than 500,000 N.C. students won’t be in class May 1 as school districts across the state close so teachers can attend a planned rally in downtown Raleigh. As of Tuesday, April 16, 11 school districts and two charter schools will be closed for the…
Out-of-state teachers will have an easier time getting licensed in North Carolina. The State Board of Education voted Thursday, April 4, to allow out-of-state teachers to become licensed in North Carolina if they have already passed a licensing test in their home states.
The first step to saving money is to stop wasting it. A full-scale recodification of our criminal laws would empower North Carolina to accomplish exactly that. In December, the N.C. Supreme Court issued its opinion in State v. Rankin, a felony littering case that illustrates how North Carolina’s haphazard collection…
Democratic lawmakers are looking to change school performance grades by providing separate marks for achievement and growth. Mecklenburg Democrats Sens. Joyce Waddell, Natasha Marcus, and Mujtaba Mohammed introduced Senate Bill 176 on Monday, March 4. A similar bill was filed…
A new bipartisan bill would restore master’s degree and doctoral pay for some public school teachers in the state. In 2013, lawmakers cut that extra pay, but Senate Bill 28 would restore master’s pay to teachers who obtain a degree…
I made a presentation recently to a community GOP club, a group of kind people who were smart, engaged, and curious. Much like many of the other groups I speak to and with. Most recently, I spoke about the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission and…
A group of House Republicans got an early start to the new General Assembly session by re-introducing a bill Wednesday to propose a state constitutional amendment restricting eminent domain. House Bill 3 was filed early on the legislature’s opening day. Bill sponsors include…
The North Carolina education finance system, often described as complicated and inequitable, could use an overhaul, several education finance experts said. On Tuesday, Jan. 29, the John Locke Foundation co-hosted an education finance workshop with the Reason Foundation, a libertarian…
It’s safe to say the 2019 legislative session will see clashes between Democratic and Republican lawmakers, and a few of these will probably revolve around education and school choice. Although school choice isn’t entirely a partisan issue, the parties tend to disagree on how best…
