Will charters dwindle in 2015?

Anyone who wants to open a charter school in North Carolina in 2015 must file a letter of intent by noon Sept. 6.

Goodall

Eddie Goodall, executive director of the N.C. Public Charter Schools Association,  worries that the "little-known cutoff date" will eliminate prospective operators.  The letters for 2014 applications weren't due until January 2013.

Joel Medley,  director of the N.C. Office of Charter Schools, disagrees.  The deadline has been posted on the web site and publicized to anyone who has inquired about opening a school since last November, he said.

If there's a drop in applications,  Medley said he's more likely to blame a new application fee.  Lawmakers set a range of $500 to $1,000; the state Board of Education will soon decide what the fee will be.  Medley said he doesn't know how the money will be spent: "We did not propose that."

Bottom line:  North Carolina is still trying to sort out a system for granting large numbers of charters every year.  When the state authorized charter schools -- public schools run by independent nonprofit boards,  rather than school districts -- in the late 1990s,  it capped the total at 100.  For years, the only openings were for a handful of spots that came open when an existing school closed.

Two years ago legislators lifted the cap,  creating a surge of new schools, especially in the Charlotte region. Twenty-three opened this summer, six of them in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.

Applicants must work their way through an evolving process.  Those who file letters of intent follow up with full-fledged applications that detail their plans for education, spending and governance.  Those are reviewed by an advisory panel  --  legislators just created a new board to handle that work  --  and sent to the state Board of Education for final approval.

Last time around,  the charter office got 156 letters of intent and 70 actual applications.  The old advisory council recommended 26 for approval, and the Board of Education voted in August to consider six more.  The board is scheduled to vote on the final list next week.

Morrison a bargain at $2.06 per student?

Raleigh TV station WRAL has created a fascinating database of contracts for all the state's superintendents. The list includes salary, bonuses and perks,  as well as a "pay per student" calculation.

Merrill

Not surprisingly, James Merrill in Wake County and Heath Morrison in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have the highest salaries.  But they land at the bottom on a per-student calculation, with Merrill at $1.83 and Morrison at $2.06  (Morrison's would  be lower if the tally had included about 3,000 prekindergarten students in CMS).

Morrison

Morrison's $288,000 base pay is a combination of $151,413 in state pay and $136,587 in local money. Merrill gets $116,000 from the state and $159,000 from Wake County,  for a total of $275,000.  According to the WRAL article,  the state portion is based on number of students,  longevity and advanced certifications.  Districts use local money and perks to attract the leaders they want.

Morrison tops the list for base pay and potential bonus (10 percent of his base pay,  or $28,000).  But his benefits don't stand out as unusual.  The WRAL article notes that Currituck County provided its superintendent a rent-free house and agreed to fence the yard for her dogs. Superintendent Allison Sholar decided to move out about a year later,  the article says,  and the board amended her contract to give her an additional $1,200 a month  (while turning the house into office space).

Mooresville Superintendent Mark Edwards got 20 extra vacation days so he can visit out-of-state family, the article notes.

Dads can be rock stars at school

It's easy to be cynical about absentee fathers,  but watching men come to school with their kids Monday morning was inspiring.

Jamison Smith with nephew and son

"You have to be in a child's life,  especially in school,"  said Rahim Nash,  who brought his 9-year-old son Arkivius to Allenbrook Elementary.  Nash said his own father never showed up at school,  but he wants things to different for his son.

"Both parents need to be involved,"  agreed Michael Strong,  who brought 7-year-old Donovon even though he knew he'd have to rush to get to work across town.

The  "Million Father March"  movement focuses on low-income minority communities,  where dads are more likely to be missing from the family and academic struggles are endemic. Project LIFT,  which made a big push to get men into schools on Monday,  serves that kind of community.

But I'm willing to bet schools from Cornelius to Ballantyne would like to see more dads in schools.  Women still tend to take the lead role in parenting and school volunteer work,  regardless of race or income.  And whether we like it or not,  that means men get extra attention from the kids when they show up to have lunch or read with a student.  A male presence at school sends a message  --  and it's a very different one than kids get from pop culture.

It can be tough for working parents,  male or female,  to break away during school hours.  But think of it this way:  Where else can you count on being looked up to,  literally and figuratively?

Anthony Gardner documents his daughter's first day

(These photos are shot by Jeff Siner; click here to see the Observer's "back to school" slide show.)

Full-time teacher and student: Race for a master's degree

Elizabeth Cranfill wants to devote her energy to the children with autism she teaches at W.M. Irvin Elementary in Cabarrus County.  But she's also taking five graduate courses this semester at UNC Charlotte's College of Education, in a desperate effort to earn her master's degree in time to collect the 10 percent raise the state had promised when she enrolled.

I caught up with Cranfill shortly after I finished a recent story on how legislative actions,  including the elimination of the bump for advanced degrees in 2014,  are affecting teachers.

Cranfill

Under normal circumstances,  it would be nuts to take on 12 credit hours and defend a thesis while working full time.  That's a heavy load for a full-time student.  But earning her degree at the end of fall semester provides her only guarantee of being grandfathered into the current pay scale.

So Cranfill,  25,  got permission from UNCC,  her principal and her district to cram in the classwork and research to earn a master's in working with autistic students.

"I love school.  I like being a student as much as I like being a teacher,"  she said last week.  But she's taking on a load that means everything else  --  including planning her June wedding  --  will be pushed to the sidelines.

Cranfill says she followed her big brother into teaching because she loves kids.  But that doesn't mean she's not concerned about earning a living.

She and her brother both got N.C. Teaching Fellow scholarships, designed to entice top high school students to become teachers and stay in state.  Cranfill also got a grant to cover her grad school tuition because she's working in a field where teachers are desperately needed.  Special-ed teachers are among the hardest posts to fill.  Cranfill teaches children who have the capability to work at grade level,  but it takes special skills to help them cope with their autism.

Cranfill says her brother has fulfilled his required teaching stint in North Carolina. He's working on a graduate degree, too  --  a business degree that will let him find another career.  She wants to stick with education,  but she's not sure.

"It's not a good time to be a public school teacher right now,"  she said.  "I wish I didn't have to say that."

Lawmakers who eliminated the supplement for master's degrees say it makes more sense to reward teachers for classroom results.  But so far there's little money for that.  The 2013-14 budget sets aside money to give $500-a-year raises to 25 percent of teachers starting in 2014-15,  with a state task force studying a more comprehensive performance-pay plan.

Ellen McIntyre,  dean of UNCC's education college,  is trying to get as many students as possible across the finish line in time to get a raise this year. That means adding extra sections of classes for fall semester and counseling students about how to juggle their obligations.

Long range,  she says,  schools like hers will doubtless have to adapt what they offer teachers who want graduate education.  She worries that eliminating an incentive for higher education will not only discourage  teachers who want to add to their skills but erode North Carolina's reputation for valuing education.

"The long-term effect?"  McIntyre said.  "It could possibly be devastating."

Parents buy classroom supplies in bulk

When CMS gave the grand tour of Grand Oak Elementary,  I was struck by the sight of PTA volunteers unloading crates of Lysol,  copy paper and other classroom supplies.

PTA president Marissa Gilbert said the parents and kids weren't just helping with heavy lifting.  They bought the goods in bulk,  an approach that ensures teachers and students will have all the supplemental supplies they need.  I've heard of parents getting individual "wish lists"  from teachers seeking such items as Kleenex and hand sanitizer,  but this was the first I'd heard of bulk-buying.

Sloan Lorino, 12, hauls supplies at Grand Oak

Apparently this is old hat at many schools,  including Torrence Creek Elementary,  where most of the Grand Oak students and families came from.  But for folks like me who haven't bought supplies in the 21st century,  here's how it works:  Teachers at each grade level prepare lists of classroom needs,  such as hand wipes and reams of paper,  and items students will need,  such as markers,  glue sticks and pencil bags. Families have the option of making a bulk purchase,  with prices ranging from $50 to $75,  depending on the grade level,  Gilbert said.  They can also choose to buy their own items,  but Gilbert said well over half the 600 students at Grand Oak went the bulk route.  This year the PTA decided to  "round up"  on the price to raise money for buying books for the library and classrooms,  she added.

I've heard parents gripe about being asked to pay for supplies in schools that are already funded by their tax dollars.  But Gilbert says the bulk-ordering plan is popular.  "I haven't heard anything but,  'Thank you for doing this again,' " she said.

Here's another surprise for me:  In some struggling districts,  schools solicit parent donations to hire staff and pay teacher stipends  (read education writer Emily Richmond's blog about that topic here).  I've never heard of that happening in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools or nearby districts.  I asked CMS lawyers if there's a legal reason for that.

"I am unaware of any statutory or policy limits,"  responded General Counsel George Battle III.  "At the risk of speculating way outside my lane, as a  practical matter,  it seems that it would be difficult to fund personnel out of parental gifts due to sustainability, variance by school and other issues."

CMS breakfast details fall to schools

Starting Monday,  we'll see how Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools'  new  "free breakfast for all"  program plays out.

Each school is crafting its own strategy for getting food into the hands of hundreds of students,  then getting them to quickly shift gears to learning.  At Elizabeth Traditional Elementary,  where the bus drop-off is nowhere near the cafeteria,  a breakfast kiosk will be in place so kids can grab their food and head to class,  said Amy Harkey,  assistant director of child nutrition.  Some schools will use variations on that  "grab-and-go"  approach,  while others will have children eat in the cafeteria.

The district acknowledges there will be challenges,  from the trash that's generated to the demand on teacher time,  especially now that there are fewer assistants to help with the youngest kids.  One teacher emailed to say he'd been told everyone had to report 15 minutes early to handle breakfast,  but the principal later rescinded that order.

The school board approved the plan in hopes that kids who start their day with a nutritious meal will be better learners.  In the past,  CMS provided free breakfast for students who qualified for income-based lunch aid.  The national No Kid Hungry campaign urges districts to provide breakfast for everyone to eliminate the stigma.  At this week's back-to-school briefing,  Harkey noted that some students go hungry because their families are in a hurry,  not because they can't afford food.

"Students do show up to school hungry,  and hungry students can't learn,"  she said.  "Breakfast is part of the educational day."

Research on the benefits of free school breakfasts is squishy,  in part because no district uses biscuits and bagels as its only strategy to improve education. But CMS leaders hope the new program will get almost 148,000 preK-12 students off to a good start.

CMS has enough students who qualify for federal lunch and breakfast subsidies that it can afford to provide breakfast to all students at no charge,  without dipping into local or state money.  The child nutrition budget is separate from the CMS operating budget,  which means money can't be pulled from teachers,  supplies and other operating costs to cover food  --  or vice versa.

Calling dads for first day of school

Project LIFT hopes to join the Million Father March in a big way,  summoning fathers and male stand-ins to walk 7,500 students to school Monday morning.

The march is an effort led by the Chicago-based Black Star Project,  designed to boost academic achievement among African American and Latino students by getting fathers involved in their education. This won't be the first time local groups and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools parents have taken part, but LIFT has extra money and energy behind the push.

Parent engagement is a key part of the five-year, $55 million quest to turn around West Charlotte High and its eight feeder schools.  Those schools have high poverty levels and a large number of students being raised by single moms or grandmothers,  so Project LIFT is also recruiting local fraternities and members of Men Who Care Global and 100 Black Men of Charlotte to escort students on the first day.  While the first-day walk is symbolic,  the real goal is lasting involvement by fathers and male mentors.

LIFT staffer Christian Friend posted on the project blog about the impact of having a loving but distant father and losing him too early.  "For years I resented by father," he writes.  "I resented not having more time with him. I resented the lack of attention and emotion I got from my father. As I approach 40, I really appreciate my father.  ...  His work allowed him to provide a great life for my brother and I. More importantly than that, my father blessed me immensely because I did see him and I knew he loved me.

Click here to read more about the Project LIFT effort or to register.  Of course,  dads at any school can take part by showing up with their child on Monday  --  and staying involved afterward.