The Friday Report

April 26, 2019

Forum News

This Week on the Special 100th Episode of Education Matters: How Do We Keep Our Children Safe?

The rate of teen suicide in North Carolina has doubled in the last 10 years. Self-harm among 10- to 14-year-old girls in the U.S. has nearly tripled since 2009. Nearly one in seven U.S. children and adolescents has a mental health condition and half go untreated. This week we explore this often difficult topic with a panel experts to try to understand the real facts and where to go from here. We’ll also meet a Wake County mother who lived through the unthinkable when her middle school age son took his own life. This special 100th episode panel discussion was recorded with a live studio audience.

Guests:

Dr. Carrie Brown, Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health & IDD, NC Dept. of Health & Human Services (top left)
Dr. Mitch Prinstein, Director of Graduate Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill and author of “Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World” (top right)
Shannon McDonald, Wake County parent (bottom left)
Symone Kiddoo, School Social Worker, Durham Public Schools (bottom right)

When and Where to Watch Education Matters

Saturday at 7:30 PM, WRAL-TV (Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville)

Sunday at 8:00 AM, FOX 50 (Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville)

Sunday at 6:30 AM and Wednesday at 9:30 AM, UNC-TV’s North Carolina Channel (Statewide)

The North Carolina Channel can be found on Time Warner Cable/Spectrum Channel 1276 or check your local listings and other providers here.

Online at ncforum.local.

Education Matters is also available as a podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Overcast, and Google Play Music.

Legislative Update

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

The House Appropriations Committee is reviewing portions of the 2019-21 education budget today and a full House vote on the biennial budget is expected next week, which we’ll have a lot more on in our next legislative update. In the meantime please check our twitter account for updates on the 2019-21 education budget as well as for important education issues in NC.

For this week’s update, we’re focusing on bills introduced this session that are related to teacher pipeline/licensure, as well as teacher compensation.

Teacher Pipeline/Licensure

Senate Bill 219: Modify Teacher Licensing Requirements.

Sponsor(s): McInnis; Tillman; Johnson (Primary) Edwards; Perry

Status: Re-ref to Education/Higher Education. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate on 4/4/2019

Summary: Senate Bill 219 would create a new teaching license available to early-career teachers who are not yet eligible for a Continuing Professional License (CPL) due to not having passed the required licensure exam. This “limited teaching license” would be issued with the approval of the local school board, superintendent, and the teacher’s principal, and would be valid for three years with renewal possible as needed. Teachers with a limited teaching license would be required to work in a district that is in what the North Carolina Department of Commerce would consider a County Distress Ranking of Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 area with a population of less than 100,000. The limited license would only be valid in the school district in which it was issued.

A previous version of the bill required teachers receiving the limited license to demonstrate “effectiveness” through their EVAAS scores or an equivalent measure, however this provision was removed in the current iteration of the bill. It is important to note that research has shown there is no reliable relationship between teachers’ scores on licensure exams and teacher effectiveness. However, it is critical that schools in rural areas and schools that have the fewest resources are able to attract and retain highly experienced and qualified teachers.

House Bill 521: Transitional License/Teacher from Other State.

Sponsor(s): Clemmons; Horn; Riddell; Gailliard (Primary) Ager; Black; Blackwell; Brockman; Butler; Dahle; Fisher; Harrison; Hawkins; Henson; Holley; Hunter; John; Lucas; Meyer; Pittman; Quick; Reives; Sasser; Terry; Wray

Status: Placed On Cal For 04/25/2019 on 4/18/2019

Summary: HB 521 would create a three-year, non-renewable transitional license that would be available for teachers who received certification outside of the state and are in good standing. This bill also changes the requirement for receiving a lifetime teaching license from 50 years of licensed teaching to 30 or more years. The transitional license could only be requested by the local school board, and local boards would have the authority to evaluate the teaching candidates’ level of experience credits to determine their salary based on the state salary schedule. While holding this transitional license, an out-of-state teacher could begin the process of applying for a Continuing Professional License (CPL), at which point the determination of teacher experience and salary would be reevaluated by the state. This could present a concern if a local school board assesses a candidate as being eligible for a higher salary than does the state, which could potentially result in teachers receiving a pay decrease when granted the CPL. Importantly, this bill would allow districts who may have trouble recruiting and retaining teachers from within North Carolina to fill vacant positions with experienced and effective educators at a time when they are much needed.

Teacher Compensation

House Bill 457: Restore Master’s Pay for Certain Teachers

Sponsor(s): Horn; Ball; Johnson; Brockman (Primary) Adcock; Ager; Autry; Batch; Belk; Butler; Carney; Clark; Clemmons; Cunningham; Dahle; Davis; Dobson; Everitt; Faircloth; Farmer-Butterfield; Fisher; Fraley; Gailliard; Gill; Harris; Harrison; Hawkins; Henson; Holley; Humphrey; Hunt; Hunter; Insko; John; Lofton; Logan; Lucas; Majeed; Meyer; Montgomery; Morey; Pierce; Potts; Queen; Quick; Reives; Richardson; Riddell; Ross; Russell; Setzer; Terry; von Haefen; Warren; Wray

Status: Ref to the Com on Education – K-12, if favorable, Appropriations, Education, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House on 3/27/2019

Summary: HB 457, if passed into law, would secure pay on a Master’s degree salary schedule or offer salary supplements for certain teachers and school personnel who have obtained Master’s degrees. The eligibility requirements are as follows:

Certified school nurses and instructional support personnel in positions for which a master’s degree is required for licensure.
Teachers and instructional support personnel who were paid on that salary schedule or received that salary supplement prior to the 2014-2015 school year.
Teachers and instructional support personnel who (i) complete a degree at the master’s, six-year, or doctoral degree level for which they completed at least one course prior to August 1, 2013, and (ii) would have qualified for the salary supplement pursuant to the State Board of Education policy, TCP-A-006, as it was in effect on June 30, 2013.
Teachers who are employed in at least one of the following:

i. A low-performing school.

ii. A high-attrition school. For purposes of this sub-subdivision, a high-attrition school is a School with a teacher attrition rate from the previous school year of fifteen percent (15%) or higher.

iv. An elementary school.

v. As a teacher in any of the following licensure areas:

a. Science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.

b. Special education.

c. English.

Teachers who do not qualify under subdivisions (1), (2), (3), and (4) of this section but who spend at least seventy percent (70%) of their work time in classroom instruction related to their graduate academic preparation in their field or subject area within their area of licensure. Most of the teachers’ remaining time shall be spent in one or more of the following:

i. Mentoring teachers.

ii. Performing demonstration lessons for teachers.

iii. Writing curricula.

iv.Developing and leading staff development programs for teachers

This bill would address the loss of Master’s pay for teachers that was eliminated by the general assembly in 2013, allowing teachers with these degrees to receive a 10% salary increase. Reinstating master’s pay for teachers and school personnel would be a step in the right direction towards keeping teachers in the classroom and investing in their professional development and job satisfaction. Unfortunately, the bill only reinstates masters pay for certain teachers, which leaves out a population of other educators who will not benefit.

Senate Bill 244: Restore Master’s Pay for Teachers.

Sponsor(s): Waddell; Mohammed (Primary) Blue; Fitch; Foushee; Garrett; Nickel; Robinson; Searcy

Status: Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate on 3/14/2019

Summary: SB 244 appropriates $8 million dollars in recurring funds for 2019-2020 fiscal year to reinstate master’s pay for teachers and instructional support personnel based on the State Board Policy TCP-A-006. This bill, which does not carry eligibility restrictions like HB 457, would be a more comprehensive approach to reinstating Master’s pay, allowing more teachers across the state to benefit, and adding to the desirability of the teaching profession that would likely lead to improvements for recruitment and retention.

2019 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala

James (Jim) and Barbara Goodmon are the recipients of the 2019 Public School Forum of North Carolina Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award. The Forum established the award in 2000 to recognize leaders who have demonstrated innovative, creative, and effective leadership for public education in North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Goodmon will be honored at a gala event on Thursday, May 30, at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Jim Goodmon, chairman and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company, and Barbara Goodmon, president of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, have spent decades finding innovative ways to meet their community’s needs—and public education has been at the top of their agenda. As actively engaged philanthropists and changemakers, the Goodmons have promoted effective and high-quality human services for disadvantaged people and communities and spearheaded efforts to ensure North Carolina’s citizens have access to first-class early childhood education and public schools across the state.

Complimentary NC Educator Tickets

Each year the Public School Forum reserves complimentary tickets for NC educators to join us for the Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala. Complimentary tickets will be given on a first come, first served basis with priority given to Public School Forum program participants.

To request a ticket, fill out the form here. We will notify those selected on Thursday, May 16, 2019. Please note that filling out the request form does not guarantee you will receive a ticket. Please contact Irene Mone at 919-781-6833 ext. 102 or [email protected] with any questions.

Event Details:

Thursday, May 30, 2018

Raleigh Convention Center

6:00 p.m. Reception, 7:00 p.m. Dinner and Program

To purchase event tickets, click below.

Purchase Tickets & Tables

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Marisa Bryant at [email protected].

2019 Roadmap of Need

A new report released on April 24th by the Public School Forum of North Carolina and its NC Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) highlights large areas of North Carolina where young people are at risk of not succeeding. The report, Roadmap of Need 2019, was released at the Center for Afterschool Programs 15^th annual Synergy Conference in Greensboro.

First published by the Public School Forum of North Carolina and NC CAP in 2010, the Roadmap of Need uses data on health, youth behavior and safety, education, and economic development to take a whole child needs assessment of what young people living in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties must have in order to thrive in school and in life.

According to the report, the five top counties where young people have the greatest likelihood for success are Orange, Wake, Union, Henderson and Moore. The bottom five counties where young people are most at risk are Northampton, Vance, Robeson, Edgecombe, and Washington. The makeup of the top five this year sees Henderson and Moore counties displacing Cabarrus and Dare; while Anson, Halifax and Warren counties moved out of the bottom five this year.

“Nearly ten years after first publishing the Roadmap of Need, the fact that our state is now divided into ‘two North Carolinas’ is a reality that we continue to grapple with,” said Keith Poston, president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina. “Our state is one where the zip code in which you live matters too much, leaving so many of our children with access only to underfunded schools, few high quality out-of-school programs and limited options for healthy activities.”

At first glance, the Roadmap points to counties in eastern North Carolina as those most at risk. However, the nature of county-wide indicators often masks the variation occurring within counties, particularly our most populous urban counties where neighborhoods that alone would be viewed as thriving on the Roadmap indicators exist in close proximity to neighborhoods with many young people in need.

Over the past several years, the Roadmap has been a key resource for afterschool providers and other education organizations when communicating with policymakers, funders, and citizens about the importance of their services, and to target areas for increased investment. School administrators, central office staff, nonprofits, community leaders, and parent advocates also use the Roadmap to demonstrate to others the needs faced by their communities. Public education advocates have brought Roadmap data to the attention of school board members, county commissioners, and members of the General Assembly in order to inform their efforts to create state and local policies that address significant community needs.

A copy of the report can be downloaded at: https://www.ncforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019_Roadmap_FINAL.pdf

State News

Thousands of Teachers will March in Raleigh on May 1. Here are the Event Details.

On Wednesday May 16, 2018, the opening day of the legislative session, educators and their supporters from across the state traveled to Raleigh to demand more funding for public education. Photo Credit: Julia Wall, News & Observer

The area near Fayetteville Street will become filled with a sea of red on Wednesday as thousands of teachers and their supporters flood downtown Raleigh to march on the state legislature.

The N.C. Association of Educators released details Thursday for how the May 1 march will take place as protesters demand that lawmakers approve items such as increased funding for education and Medicaid. Just like with last year’s march, the crowd is likely to clog traffic, fill up parking spaces and lead to long lines at downtown lunch spots.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “Thousands of teachers will march in Raleigh on May 1. Here are the event details” News & Observer. 4/25/19.

26 School Districts Cancel Class Ahead of Teacher Rally in Downtown Raleigh

Photo Credit: WRAL.

Last year, teachers, parents, students and supporters transformed downtown Raleigh into a sea of red and in one week, it will happen again.

So far, 26 school districts and several charter schools have announced that they have canceled classes on May 1 because of the number of teachers expected to be absent.

The North Carolina Association of Educators has organized the “May 1 Day of Action” to demand more support from public schools from state lawmakers. A similar rally last year drew 19,000 educators from across the state and closed more than 40 school systems.

To continue reading the complete press release, click here.

Excerpt from:

“26 School Districts Cancel Class Ahead of Teacher Rally in Downtown Raleigh” WRAL. 4/24/19.

Eastern Carolina Schools to Receive Part of $2 Million Grant

Photo Credit: WITN

Schools damaged during Hurricanes Florence and Michael will be getting some extra financial help as they continue their road to recovery.

North Carolina State Superintendent Mark Johnson says more than 270 schools across the state will be getting part of a $2 million federal grant to help their recovery efforts.

Some of the districts receiving funds in the east are Carteret, Jones, and Onslow County Schools.

The grant is being given through “Project Serv” and will be used to fund projects such as rebuilding playgrounds and transporting students displaced by the storms.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

“Eastern Carolina schools to receive part of $2 million grant” WITN. 4/25/19

Lawmakers, Union Reps Move to End Prohibition on Public-Sector Collective Bargaining

A participant in the March for Students and Rally for Respect last year in downtown Raleigh. Photo Credit: Don Carrington, Carolina Journal.

Lawmakers, union representatives, and government officials are calling for repeal of North Carolina’s prohibition on public-sector employee collective bargaining.

Sen. Wiley Nickel, D-Wake, led a news conference Wednesday, April 24, calling for passage of Senate Bill 575. He’s a sponsor of the legislation, which would revoke what speakers referred to as an archaic, Jim Crow-era law denying more than 600,000 government employees’ self-determination in the workplace. The bill was referred to the Senate Rules Committee.

North Carolina is one of only three states with a blanket prohibition on public-sector union collective bargaining. This bill doesn’t require local governments to enter collective bargaining or allow public employees to strike.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Way, D. “Lawmakers, Union Reps Move to End Prohibition on Public-Sector Collective Bargaining.” Carolina Journal. 4/24/19.

The Teacher Weekly Wage Penalty Hit 21.4 Percent in 2018, a Record High

Photo Credit: Economic Policy Institute.

In 2018, teacher strikes in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Colorado raised the profile of deteriorating teacher pay as a critical public policy issue. Teacher protests have continued in many states into 2019, and there have been several prominent strikes in major cities including Los Angeles, Oakland, and Denver. Teacher protests gained sufficient national attention to merit a Time magazine cover story in September 2018 (Reilly 2018).

Teachers, students, parents, and community supporters protested cutbacks in public education spending and a squeeze on teacher pay that have persisted well into the economic recovery from the Great Recession. Spending reductions affect resources available to schools, which influence numerous decisions such as whether the school has adequate support personnel, reasonable class sizes, and competitive compensation for both teachers and non-teacher staff. Spending cuts over the recovery were not the result of weak state economies. Rather, many state legislatures and governors cut spending in order to finance tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. This report underscores the crisis in teacher pay by updating our data series on the teacher wage and compensation penalty—the percent by which public school teachers are paid less in wages and compensation than other college-educated workers—and by providing new regression-based estimates of the teacher weekly wage penalty in each state.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Allegretto, S. and Mishel, L. “The teacher weekly wage penalty hit 21.4 in 2018, a record high. 4/24/19.

Some NC Lawmakers Want Schools to Repeal Obama-Era Student Discipline Policies

Duke law professor Jane Wettach discusses school suspensions. Photo Credit: Joe Neff, News & Observer .

Some state lawmakers say they want to reaffirm local control over school discipline policies, but critics are worried that the proposed legislative changes could increase suspensions for minority students.

The state Senate voted 21-16 along party lines last week to pass a bill requiring school districts to repeal discipline policies based on guidance from the Obama Administration that warned about racial disparities in suspensions. The bill requires districts to replace those discipline policies with new ones based on “local standards of conduct,” although they can also readopt their current policies.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “Some NC lawmakers want schools to repeal Obama-era student discipline policies”. 4/24/19.

National News

Extending Vouchers Into Middle Class Is Florida’s Next Move

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, a Republican and a long-time advocate for school choice, speaks at Iglesia Doral Jesus Worship Center on Feb. 1, in Doral, Florida.Photo Credit: Brynn Anderson/AP, Education Week.

Already home to a thriving ecosystem of vouchers—is making a new run at expanding the numbers of families who are eligible for taxpayer-funded vouchers to send their children to private school.

At the same time, the state’s still-new vouchers for bullied students are causing confusion among school district leaders even as demand for them has fallen way short of expectations in the program’s first year.

Lawmakers are making a full-court press to extend vouchers to thousands of new students, including many from middle-class families. Legislation to make that a reality is circulating in the Florida legislature, and with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a staunch ally of vouchers at the helm, school choice supporters are feeling optimistic about its prospects.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Prothero, A. “Extending Vouchers Into Middle Class is Florida’s Next Move .” Education Week. 4/16/19.

South Carolina Teachers Calling Out of Work May 1 to March on Statehouse

The SC For Ed teacher advocacy group has been encouraging teachers to wear red on Wednesdays and travel to Columbia to testify for hearings. The group is now calling for teachers to call out of work and march on the Statehouse on May 1, 2019. Photo Credit: Seanna Adcox/Staff, The Post and Courier.

Public school teachers across South Carolina plan to leave work May 1 and protest in Columbia to demand higher wages, smaller classroom sizes and other changes to their working conditions.

It remains unclear how many teachers will participate and whether any school districts may opt to close schools that day.

The protest was announced over the weekend by SC for Ed, a teacher activist group. The group formed last summer and was inspired partly by teacher walkouts and strikes across the country, which have been widely promoted by the National Education Association labor union.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Bowers, P. “South Carolina Teachers calling out of work May 1 to march on Statehouse.” The Post and Courier. 4/22/19.

Who Does the Choosing Under School Choice?

Photo Credit: Brookings.

Nearly everyone would agree that every child should have access to a high-quality education, yet there is little consensus for how to make this a reality. Many education reformers believe school choice can help. School choice, broadly defined, proposes that parents can choose to send their children to school wherever they think best, and not simply the nearest school as has been typically done in the U.S. In theory, school choice can help improve access to quality schools and the educational prospects for our most disadvantaged children.

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Education has pushed for significant expansion of school choice programs. In 2017, for example, the federal administration proposed a budget dedicating $1.4 billion to expanding school choice vouchers, a proposal that Congress rejected. Last month, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed a new federal tax credit for individuals and companies that make donations to scholarships that enable students to attend education programs outside of traditional public schools. Data suggests that most Americans are on board with the expansion of school choice programs. In a recent poll, for example, 54 percent of respondents said they favored universal school choice policies. The rise in charter school enrollments also demonstrates the demand for school choice. Between 2016 and 2017, charter school enrollments increased by 5 percent to 3.2 million students.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Bergman, P and McFarlin, I. “Who does the choosing under school choice?” Brookings. 4/15/19.

Opportunities

Making Innovation a Priority in NC Schools

Watson College is hosting its second “Making Innovation a Priority in NC Schools” conference at UNCW, May 13th. The goals of the conference are to: highlight innovative programs and practices across the state; build support for an infrastructure for innovation; and provide attendees with an opportunity to engage in innovative/design thinking.

For more information about the conference go to the conference website here. Registration is FREE. We ask all attendees to register by May 1st.

2019 Professional Educators of NC Conference

PENC will be hosting it’s 2019 Conference, “Supercharged with STEAM” on May 4, 2019, in Raleigh at the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel.

Attendees will earn 0.5 (digital learning) CEUs while they learn about STEAM Education. STEAM is showing success in schools all around the world to better teach academic and life skills in a standards-backed, reality-based, personally relevant exploratory learning environment. It is a framework for teaching that is based on natural ways of learning, customizable for ALL types of students and programs and is FUNctional!

Keynote speaker Jan Hargrave, author, an expert in the field of nonverbal communication will teach you how to improve your communication skills in order to become a more effective communicator. Her information could help you to “read” your family, your students, your associates, in fact, everyone around you. Bring your body, your curiosity, your sense of humor and learn what your body – and the body of others – is communicating to the world.

Visit www.pencweb.org/2019-conference for more details and to register!

Purchase orders may be used for school groups! Please contact Alex Cozort at [email protected] with any questions or for more information.

The Friday Report is published weekly by the Public School Forum of NC and is distributed to Forum members, policymakers, donors, media, and Forum subscribers. Archived editions can be found at ncforum.local.