NCAE
Merit pay questions continue to bedevil commission examining new teacher pay and licensure proposal
Questions about whether a controversial licensure and pay proposal for North Carolina’s teachers constitutes merit pay continue to bedevil state education leaders. Members of the Professional Education Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) discussed the topic Thursday after it met to begin fine-tuning a draft of the new licensure and pay plan to send to the […]
Budget bill sent to Cooper puts NC’s controversial school voucher program on path to dramatic expansion
Big hike would come at same time traditional public schools are grappling with funding challenges and staffing shortfalls State lawmakers may regret the decision to stuff millions of additional dollars into the state’s underutilized school voucher program, Rep. Rachel Hunt warned last week. The Mecklenburg County Democrat said the feeling of remorse will likely come over them in August...
To get better pay NC teachers may need to march in the streets locally
Since the beginning of this school year and through the final four months of state budget negotiations, we at the North Carolina Association of Educators advocated for meaningful salary increases, increased classroom funding and a fulfillment of the Leandro mandate. But above all, we fought for recognition of what’s happening in our public schools across […]
Republicans vow to end “indoctrination,” Critical Race Theory in NC schools
Are North Carolina’s teachers indoctrinating students with tenets of Critical Race Theory? The state’s Republican leaders say they are, but struggled to provide solid evidence Wednesday when asked to do so by Democratic colleagues.
CDC says it’s OK for students to sit three feet apart in classrooms
NCAE calls on CDC to provide a more detailed explanation for the change WASHINGTON — Federal health officials have revised their guidance to schools on how far apart students should be spaced in a classroom, now saying desks can be placed 3 feet apart instead of 6 feet to limit the spread of COVID-19. The […]
Push for rapid school reopening gains momentum, but issue is far from settled
Health experts give conditional green light, but hurdles remain and many educators and parents are still deeply concerned As the push to reopen North Carolina’s K-12 public schools gains traction, educators ask a single question: Is it safe to return to school buildings before teachers and support staff are vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus? The […]
N.C. Association of Educators wants teachers vaccinated before schools reopen
North Carolina must vaccinate teachers before asking them to return to classrooms for in-person instruction, the N.C. Association of Educators said Monday. “Educators are the epitome of essential, front line workers, and getting them vaccinated is the most critical step to restarting in-person instruction statewide,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the teacher advocacy organization. […]
The state’s new hires won’t be able to use the employee health plan at retirement
State employees hired after Jan. 1 will not be eligible for state employee health coverage if they work long enough for North Carolina to retire. Eliminating state health insurance coverage for future retirees was part of the state budget passed in 2017 over the objections of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, the NC […]
Report: Six of top eight voucher schools in NC discriminate against LGBTQ families
There’s a “must read” news story in the Fayetteville Observer reminding us of a dark fact that we’ve known fora long time here in North Carolina — namely that our state’s school voucher programs funnels large amounts of public dollars each year to private schools that discriminate against LGBTQ families and children. After telling the […]
PW exclusive: Departing NCAE president Mark Jewell looks back and to the future
Since Mark Jewell was first elected to be president of the North Carolina Association of Educators in 2016, he has been an outspoken leader of the 60,000-member teacher advocacy organization. He led two high-profile marches on the General Assembly that brought thousands of North Carolina educators to downtown Raleigh to demand better pay teachers and increased funding for public schools.