Opinion
Average pay isn’t the right focus
In reality, teacher pay is inherently differentiated — but in North Carolina, the practice until recently was to differentiate in ways that didn’t serve students well.
News
Emotions flare as teacher walkout nears
Supporters and critics of a planned teacher rally haven’t been shy in sharing their opinions about the intent of eventual outcomes surrounding the event. Hundreds of schools prepare to close so teachers can attend the North Carolina Association of Educators’ event in Raleigh on Wednesday, May 16. Some have passionately called for support for the...
Opinion
N.C. teachers are getting political
The May 16 teacher gathering in Raleigh is inspired by teacher demonstrations in other states and is energized by the desire of public school advocacy groups to weaken Republican control of the General Assembly. It’s political mobilization disguised as a “rally for respect.” The N.C. Association of Educators has been unusually forthcoming about the partisan...
Opinion
Teacher pay deserves reasoned debate
Structuring pay around years of experience and degrees awarded was a bad idea. We should be glad North Carolina is moving away from it.
News
State Board of Education approves teacher pay pilot programs for six school districts
The way teachers are paid may soon change as several school districts begin experimenting with different models. The State Board of Education approved the pilot programs of six school districts to start in the 2017-18 school year. Currently, teacher pay is tied to the number of years a teacher spends in the classroom. Sometimes local school...
Podcast
Research identifies traits of successful teachers
From Carolina Journal Radio Program No. 739: New research offers clues about the primary factors that go into making a public school teacher effective. Terry Stoops, the John Locke Foundation’s vice president for research, examines the data. He explains how the research fits with recent legislative efforts to change the way North Carolina pays its...
News
Budget compromise: 3.1 percent spending increase, most tax cuts in 2019
The $23 billion House and Senate budget compromise will include a 3.1 percent increase in spending in the 2017-18 budget year, which is higher than the two chambers agreed to several months ago when budget writing began. (Committee report here. Table of Contents for Senate Bill 527 here. Text of Senate Bill 527 here.) Senate...
News
Budget-paring tool would save N.C. taxpayers $455 million next year
North Carolina legislators could save taxpayers another $455 million in the next budget year. They would meet that target by using a tool called consensus-based budgeting. A new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report offers details. JLF is releasing its report as N.C. House and Senate budget negotiators work out final details of their two-year General...
News
2017 state budget: Education/teacher pay raises
Politically charged debates over teacher pay are nothing new. This year is no exception, given that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper holds power in the executive branch, while a Republican supermajority governs the General Assembly. Cooper wants to spend more, the legislature wants to spend less. For now, the numbers look like this. The House would...
News
Governor visits Franklinton High, takes opportunity to promote his budget agenda
Gov. Roy Cooper briefly visited Franklinton High School on May 23 for a tour, but he didn’t miss the chance to criticize the Senate budget and to push his own plans. “Let’s face it, the last few years, the investment in public education has not been sufficient,” Cooper, a Democrat, said. “In this Senate budget...
News
Cooper makes appeal for common ground to skeptical General Assembly
RALEIGH — Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper sought common ground during his first State of the State address to the Republican-controlled General Assembly on Monday night. While the governor’s 37-and-a-half-minute speech asked lawmakers for cooperation with his plans to improve education, recruit jobs, fight the opioid crisis, and help those still affected by Hurricane Matthew, Republicans used their...
News
Critics call Cooper budget plan ‘reckless,’ ‘corporate welfare’
DURHAM — Governors’ initial budget proposals rarely resemble the spending plans that finally pass the General Assembly. Early reaction to Gov. Roy Cooper’s proposed $23.5 billion General Fund budget suggests that this tradition will continue. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, wasted no time in criticizing the plan Cooper rolled out Wednesday at Durham Technical Community College. “If...
