State rep: Charter schools need more financial oversight

Charlotte Talks on WFAE had a strong lineup on the panel this morning for a discussion of education in North Carolina.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Ann Clark was there, as was Gov. Pat McCrory's senior education adviser (Eric Guckian) and state Board of Education chairman Bill Cobey.

But I what most caught my ear were some comments from N.C. Rep. Craig Horn, a Republican from Weddington.

In response to questions about several Charlotte-area charter schools that had failed this year, Horn said that North Carolina needs to do a better job of making sure a proposed charter has its financial house in order.

"Charters need to be held to a higher level of accountability on the finance and governance side," he said.

He said that lawmakers had focused a lot on making sure charter school academics were up to snuff, but now needed to shift.

Here are a few more things that stood out:

• Clark said CMS would be hosting five to six "teacher voice sessions" over the coming months for teachers to talk about what would create a better working environment for them.

• Cobey said that the state will require virtual charter schools to provide children they accept with a computer and Internet access if the student doesn't have access.

• Cobey also said charter schools have struggled in Mecklenburg County because CMS has done a good job offering choices to families.

• Guckian said McCrory's goal is to move toward one electronic device per student in every N.C. school.

Listen to the conversation yourself at this link. It will also replay on the radio at 9 p.m.

CMS will hire teachers and hope for the best

Budget time always carries a bit of uncertainty for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools because of how much the district relies on the county and state government. This year, that uncertainty has been kicked up a notch, and the school board has to hope it doesn't come back to bite them.

You may recall the state legislature's decision last year to no longer automatically give districts more money commensurate with enrollment growth. Basically, CMS knew that if they had, say, 2,000 more students, then they would be sure to get money for more teaching positions to cover the  growth. That won't happen this year, a difference then-Superintendent Heath Morrison called a "radical change" to education funding.

CMS said this week that it expects 2,400 more students for the 2015-16 school year. But will the district receive money for more teachers? Probably, based on promises made by legislative leaders, but no guarantee.

So CMS is going to go out and hire them anyway.

Sheila Shirley

Chief Financial Officer Sheila Shirley told the school board Tuesday that the district plans to go out and hire the best teachers they can this spring, when most of that hiring is typically done. By the fall, when CMS will know exactly how much money they'll get, it would be too late.

Superintendent Ann Clark and Shirley said that if the money from the state comes up short, CMS will find money to pay the teachers elsewhere instead of laying them off.

Board members gave their blessing for the plan.

CMS is also banking on entry-level teacher pay rising once again, to $35,000 from the current $33,000. Shirley said that was part of Gov. Pat McCrory's plan.

The discussion was the first on the budget in 2015. There will be budget workshops the next two months before Clark's recommendation comes out in April.

CMS unveils plan to pay 'highly effective' teachers more

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has outlined a plan to give some "highly effective" teachers more money.

Of course, it leaves plenty of room to debate whether it is a fair and effective way to motivate people in the classroom.

The whole thing is tied in with a state law that requires school districts to come up with ways to give their best teachers a bonus. To qualify under the CMS proposal, teachers would have to meet these criteria:

• Teach at one of the 14 consistently underperforming schools that are part of the Beacon Initiative developed this school year.
• Be at least proficient in all leadership and student learning standards (I and IV for those on the inside)
• Have at least one rating above proficient
• Meet some attendance benchmark. This wasn't outlined at the meeting.

It's unclear how many teachers would be eligible for a bonus. CMS staff who presented the plan said they hadn't run the numbers. The actual award will depend on how many teachers qualify.

The result is likely to be disappointing to a large percentage of the district's teachers. But the district doesn't have a huge pot of money to work with.

The state estimates having $1 million to distribute. CMS generally makes up 10 percent of the state in everything, so the district plans to give out about $100,000. The actual numbers could vary because the awards are funded by license plate sales.

School boards are supposed to send the plans to a N.C. House and Senate committee by Thursday.

Ann Clark launching Raleigh lobbying public efforts

The North Carolina legislature will soon be back in session, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools hopes to be a prominent voice in Raleigh this year.

Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark is scheduled to kick off her public lobbying effort this weekend at an event sponsored by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters. Called "What happens in Raleigh matters in Mecklenburg," the forum will feature speakers who believe the state budget doesn't properly fund education in the Charlotte area (If you're interested in going, the event is at 10 a.m. Saturday at the YWCA, 3420 Park Road).

Also speaking will be John Dornan, founder and former executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina; and Tazra Mitchell, a policy analyst at the Budget and Tax Center, part of the N.C. Justice Center.

Clark spoke at a similar event last year. But this year, the appearance comes as she will be assuming one of her most prominent roles yet in Raleigh as she acts in the superintendent's role for CMS. She told the Observer last month that she's already been setting up individual meetings with the Mecklenburg County delegation. That group will be getting another friendly face in January when school board member Joyce Waddell steps down to take a seat in the N.C. Senate. Expect that to happen at the board meeting next week.

Clark has said 2015 will include targeted trips to Raleigh to push for increased teacher pay and for support  in recruiting top young teachers.

Charlotte-based charter advocate wants its schools to get lottery money

The Charlotte-based North Carolina Public Charter Schools Association has unveiled its list of legislative priorities for the year, and near the top of the list: Making sure charter schools get a slice of the lottery pie.

The North Carolina Education Lottery, which has been around since 2005, now gives a half a billion dollars per year to school systems. Mecklenburg County has gotten about $250 million in the past eight years. About $103 million has gone to pay for additional teachers in kindergarten through third grade. Another $92 million has gone to building projects.

Right now, charter schools only get lottery money when it gets commingled with  other sources of state revenue, says the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. They don't get their share of construction money.

Getting their share ranks near the top of the association's long list of priorities. Others run the gamut from allowing charter schools to charge fees that their local traditional school district does not, to making it easier for charter schools to obtain grants.

Why does CMS want to open charter schools?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has had an uneven relationship with the growing number of charter schools in the area. But within the district's legislative agenda approved Wednesday is a request that CMS be able to open charter schools of their own.

Board member Ericka Ellis-Stewart asked the question: Why would the district want to do that?

Charter schools are public and operated with tax dollars. But they are exempt from a number of requirements that traditional public schools have. They're not required to provide transportation, for example, or meals.

CMS associate general counsel Jonathan Sink told the board that those things aren't what CMS is trying to avoid. What they want is the ability to tweak its calendar, or alter the curriculum in a way that's different from state mandates.

"We're looking for those pieces of educational innovation they were created to have," Sink said.

Board chairwoman Mary McCray said one concept they've looked at, by way of example, is an all-boys middle school.

The district has not yet come up with any specific programs or features it would want to have in a charter school should they be granted the ability to create one. It would require a major change to state law, Sink said.

Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark, who has assumed the duties of the top job after Heath Morrison resigned, said CMS will be bringing in Cindy Loe, former superintendent of schools in Fulton County, Ga., to help district leaders think through what they'd want to do.

Bus drivers, teacher assistants getting $500 raise

Most of the talk regarding the education budget has been about teacher pay (and from my story today, veteran teachers aren't too happy about the plan).

But the state's proposal also lays out pay raises for all the other public school workers. They aren't going to fare as well as most of their colleagues.

"Noncertified personnel," as they're called – and this includes everyone from maintenance workers to bus drivers to teacher assistants (here's a list) – are set to receive a $500 raise in their annual pay this year. You can read it for yourself on pages 54 and 55 of the proposed budget.

Sure, it's a change from the half-decade wage freeze. But it's not sitting well with some people falling in this category.

For comparison, most state employees are getting $1,000 raises. Speaking to N.C. Policy Watch, some of these workers are calling it a "slap in the face."

In other education pay news, I've gotten a few requests from people curious about the proposed salary schedules for teachers getting extra pay for master's degrees. I'm trying to track one down, and I'll share when I get it.

What will the state budget really mean for teacher pay?

North Carolina legislature leaders announced a budget compromise with fanfare yesterday, touting it as including the largest teacher pay hike in the state's history. Top line figures: 7 percent salary raises, and no cuts to teacher assistants.

We're still waiting on the formal details of the budget to be published (that's expected to be around 10 p.m. tonight). But WRAL has published a state Fiscal Research Division document with a chart that shows what the new teacher base salary range should be under the budget proposal.

Teachers with five to 10 years experience will have the biggest pay bumps. Those with 30+ years won't see much of a difference.

Longevity pay would go away, according to the North Carolina Association of Educators. There's also much fewer pay levels than the old system.

Granted, this all could presumably still change.

Teachers: What are your thoughts on the teacher pay deal? Shoot me an email.

Survey: Lawmakers are in the doghouse

People who answered a recent UNC Wilmington online survey are plenty mad about the N.C. legislature's recent changes to education, according to a recent report.

With the 2014 session looming,  we seem to be getting a poll a week,  and most of them show what the sponsors go in looking for.  So let's be clear up front:  This was a self-selected group of more than 2,350 people who responded to links shared by PTAs and social media,  including,  apparently,  the Observer's Facebook page.  Participants were skewed toward middle-class women who have kids in public schools and/or have worked in public education.

Respondents trust teachers ...

Still,  it's always interesting to hear what folks have to say.  More than 95 percent said they trust teachers and principals to make decisions about education,  compared with just over 60 percent who trust their local school board and just over 3 percent who trust the governor and state legislature.

... a lot more than they trust these guys.

More than 90 percent said North Carolina is headed the wrong direction when it comes to public education.  Especially unpopular: Increasing class sizes,  decreasing per-pupil spending,  giving schools letter grades,  cutting pay for advanced degrees,  providing private-school vouchers and lowering the percentage of certified teachers required at charter schools.  Among people who have never worked for a school system,  there were mixed reviews for Teach for America,  the Read to Achieve program and the controversial  "25 percent plan"  to replace teacher tenure.

About 30 percent of the parents who responded said they've considered private or charter schools for their children. “We are actively searching for private school options to escape the ridiculousness that has become the NC school system!”  one reported.

And,  of course,  the overwhelming majority think teachers need a raise.  It's looking like the only debate on that point is going to be who gets how much  (and that debate will be a doozy).

The survey by UNCW Professors Robert Smith and Scott Imig follows one that tallied educators'  reactions to the legislative session in December.

'Burger King' teacher launches petition for McCrory

Apparently I wasn't the only one who was impressed by fourth-grade teacher Justin Ashley's letter to House Speaker Thom Tillis.

Ashley

On Wednesday morning,  I posted his letter talking about his dedication to teaching and his fear that legislators'  action would discourage future teachers.  Within 48 hours,  "Burger King vs. teaching:  One man's choice" became the most-read item I've ever had on this blog.  By the end of the weekend,  it had been viewed more than 34,000 times.

Teachers,  parents and advocates around the state shared it on social media.  Superintendent Heath Morrison included a link in his Friday email to more than 18,000 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employees.  The Public School Forum of North Carolina copied the letter to more than 4,000 education supporters around the state.

Ashley,  who teaches at McAlpine Elementary in south Charlotte,  says he got dozens of messages of support and congratulations.  But by week's end,  he hadn't gotten a reply from Tillis,  a Mecklenburg Republican who was once an active CMS parent.

So he launched something new:  A petition on Change.org asking Gov. Pat McCrory to spend a day teaching his class. He had 670 online signatures Sunday afternoon.

McCrory

"After you walk my kids to dismissal, you and I could have a conversation in my classroom about your experiences:  what you enjoyed, what was difficult, what you learned,"  Ashley's request concludes.  "In social studies, we teach our students a lot about revolutions.  Maybe it's time we start one.  Let's begin a new conversation about public education with you walking in my shoes.  Let's trade shoes for a day."

A little more about how this got started:  Like many teachers around North Carolina,  Ashley was dismayed by some of the actions taken in this summer's legislative session,  and he put his thoughts in writing.  Unlike many of them,  he decided to sign his name and go public.

Ashley said Friday that friends and colleagues advised him to make his letter anonymous or get a group to sign.  But his personal experience and credibility are what's grabbing people's attention, I believe.

It's one thing to cast teachers as  "unions and special interests"  who are interested in  "lining their pockets,"  to quote from Sen. Phil Berger's opinion piece in Sunday's Observer.

It's another to engage with a 28-year-old guy trying to support a young family on $39,500 a year.  Especially when that guy is the kind of teacher you'd want your children and grandchildren to have.  Ashley has been named the state teacher of the year in history and social studies.  He has dressed up as James Madison to do a rap video about the Bill of Rights. His kids re-enact Revolutionary War battles with water balloons. When he teaches about the three branches of government,  his students set up their own government.  "The kids pass laws like 'Don't pick your nose in class,' " he says.  Ashley is thinking how cool it would be to have the real governor show up for that one.

One theme goes through his lessons:  Regular citizens have a voice in democracy.  By writing respectful,  constructive letters and signing his name,  Ashley hopes to demonstrate that lesson for his kids.  "I just hope it raises some questions and opens some eyes,"  he said.

Some of his fellow teachers have been inspired to build on his example.  More on that to come.