August 30, 2014 – Public Education Impact: The NC Legislature’s Short Session
It has been a confusing legislative session. A new 2014-15 budget and other new laws have
been passed that have a significant impact on our public schools. Join Public Schools First NC and our guests Mark Jewell, Vice President of the NC Association of Educators and Chris Hill, Director of the NC Justice Center Education and Law Project as we discuss the effects of recent legislation on North Carolina’s public schools, including: public school funding, teacher salaries, charter schools, the Common Core State Standards, and more. LISTEN TO THE REPLAY
Supplemental Materials
- Presentation – Public Education Impact: The NC Legislature’s Short Session
- NC Association of Educators: Frequently Asked Questions
- NC Department of Public Instruction: 2014-15 Salary Schedules Frequently Asked Questions
- 7-30-14 “Money Report” – Joint Conference Committee Report on the Continuation, Expansion, and Capital Budgets (see Section F)
June 19, 2014 – Testing Our Kids: K-12 Assessments in North Carolina Today
Testing in K-12 has long been controversial in North Carolina. What testing is required and what purposes do tests serve? NCDPI Director of Accountability Services Tammy Howard will describe what testing is mandated by federal and state law. We will discuss the parent perspective on “opting out” and the ramifications for students and teachers, as well as efforts to rethink the amount of testing we are doing in NC with Pamela Grundy of Mecklenburg ACTS. LISTEN TO THE REPLAY.
April 24, 2014 – Charter Schools in NC: History and Issues
Charter schools were first authorized in NC in 1996. What was the original intent? How have they developed? What are the promises and challenges of charter schools? What are policy options around charter schools now? Join Public Schools First NC staff and Lindsay Wagner, Education Reporter for NC Policy Watch as we explore charter schools in North Carolina. LISTEN TO THE REPLAY.
March 3, 2014 – Teachers and Career Status: An Overview of Lawsuits
This June, School boards have been mandated to implement a new system of contracts which can affect teachers’ career status. Learn about teacher career status (tenure/due process), what the end of career status means, how the contracts will impact teachers and how teachers and school systems are responding. Ann McColl, General Counsel for the NCAE, and and teachers Jessica Benton and Lindsay Kosmala Furst present. LISTEN TO THE REPLAY.
January 28, 2014 – School Vouchers: Overview & Update on Legal Action
In December 2013, not one, but two lawsuits were filed challenging the constitutionality of the newly passed North Carolina school voucher law. Each lawsuit maintains that the new law violates the state constitution’s mandate that state revenues for public education “shall be faithfully appropriated and used exclusively for establishing and maintaining a uniform system of free public schools.” Twenty-five plaintiffs from across the state are part of one suit sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) and the North Carolina Justice Center. The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) and four taxpayers filed a second lawsuit. At least 40 school districts have joined this second lawsuit. Learn more about the school voucher program in North Carolina. Staff of Public Schools First NC, an attorney from the NC Justice Center and a parent who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by the NC Justice Center and the NC Association of Educators will provide important information about this initiative. LISTEN TO THE REPLAY.