Sequester sparks no panic in CMS

Budget gridlock may be tying Washington in knots,  but don't expect the sequester to bring massive layoffs or school cutbacks at home.  Federal money for 2012-13 is already in place and won't be cut off by any automatic federal cuts,  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools advised employees in a Friday newsletter.  The district is bracing for federal cuts as officials plan for 2013-14, the newsletter says.

In a related note,  the Washington Post's Fact Checker blog called BS on U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's talk that the sequester would trigger immediate and massive teacher layoffs. "There is little debate that across-the-board spending cuts in education funding will cause pain for some schools and states. But there is no reason to hype the statistics  --  or to make scary pronouncements on pink slips being issued based on misinformation,"  the blog concluded

Meanwhile,  if you're trying to keep up with the blizzard of education proposals swirling around Raleigh,  the Public School Forum of North Carolina is posting a "bills to watch" feature in its weekly reports.

If you missed it in Sunday's Observer,  House Speaker Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County wrote about some possible changes afoot.

Tillis

"We should examine North Carolina’s tenure law with a goal of allowing district flexibility in personnel decisions, while maintaining due process for teachers,"  Tillis wrote after meetings with numerous teachers,  principals and superintendents.  "We should discuss giving school districts the authority to implement compensation models based on teacher performance. Lastly, we need to encourage (school districts) to drive out inefficiencies – and reward them by allowing them to reinvest savings in their own schools."

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/03/3887616/nc-houses-education-reform-innovation.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

And close to home, Superintendent Heath Morrison and his 22 task forces are holding the second of three town hall meetings today, from 6-8:30 p.m. at North Meck, 11201 Old Statesville Road, Huntersville.  I didn't make it to the first one last week.  I'd be curious to hear from those of you who did;  was it helpful?