July 19th 2012 Board of Education Regular Meeting

One of the goals of the blog this year is to bring NCAE members (and all other interested parties), a timely, full report on Board of Education meetings specifically written to focus on issues that are important to Macon  teachers and staff. Here we go.....


Overcrowding of K-4 classrooms
Perhaps the most substantive issue the Board confronted was the issue of overcrowding and near overcrowding of K-4 classrooms at East Franklin, South Macon, and Cartoogechaye. Currently the Board has been allowing out-of-district students to attend these schools which has resulted in class sizes coming close to the state-allowed limit or poised to go over those limits given the projected enrollment for this fall.

Administration has attempted to solve this problem by inviting parents of out of district students to attend Iotla Valley which has surplus capacity both in terms of class sizes and physical plant (Iotla Valley has rooms for five classes at each grade level and currently only has three classes at each grade). Another option is to hire at least one teacher at East Franklin and create a split Kindergarten/First Grade of approximately 12 students. East Franklin principal Shirley Parks was given the option by the BOE to take temporary custody of an unused double-wide portable unit to handle the overflow but she indicated she preferred the existing space at East Franklin, saying that it was educationally sound. She also indicated she would like to know as soon as possible if there was going to be a split grade in order to give the teacher time to prepare. However, new superintendent Dr. Jim Duncan's advice to the BOE was to "wait and see" how many students actually appeared before incurring what may be unnecessary staffing expansions and/or student relocations and hire a new teacher and aid if necessary the first week of school. The Board seemed amenable to that advice and took no further action.


Human Resource Director Dan Moore noted that many parents, once they are advised of which teacher their elementary child has, especially at the kindergarten level, are loathe to dissolve that partnership -- that advice seemed to figure in the Board's decision not to relocate out-of-district students at this time. However, the Board indicated that a harder line on that issue would likely be forthcoming for future school years, noting that the district lines were drawn to prevent the type of overcrowding which is occurring. Currently 46 students are out-of-district which should be attending Iolta Valley with East Franklin having the most at 29.

First Reading of New Social Networking Policy
The item that generated the most animated discussion of the evening was a new social networking policy which proscribes the use of social networking sites such as Facebook by teachers during school hours, as well as explicitly forbidding teachers from "friending" students and their parents. (The policy can be accessed in full here) . Board member Gary Shields expressed concern that "teachers are already stressed" and that the policy as written created yet another potential landmine to consider and navigate in their daily activities. Shields complained that teachers are "going to get caught up in it (the policy}" inadvertently. Human Resource Director Dan Moore and BOE attorney John Henning responded that their concern was that students would be privy not so much to what a teacher might post him or herself, but what a friend of a teacher may post on the teacher's page which may cause problems maintaining a professional relationship with students. Moore pointed out to the BOE that he has to counsel teachers "at least twice a month" for inappropriate use of social networking sites and that MCS required a policy that "had teeth."


Shields pointed out that the policy allowed for disciplinary action up to and including termination.Shields argued that social networking sites were a "21st century tool" that teachers were already using and needed to use in a responsible manner. Shields cited as examples teachers giving "attaboys" online such as "great game last night" and other positive feedback which comes in a medium more conducive to communicating with current students. MCS Information Technology Director Tim Burrell argued that the portion of the policy forbidding the "friending" of parents by teachers was problematic as many teachers have pre-existing friendships with parents beyond and before their children may be enrolled in a particular teacher's classroom. Attorney John Henning maintained that "common sense would prevail." However, there is nothing in the policy mentioning "common sense.". Henning also argued that the policy was not a "blanket prohibition" but the policy appears to be just that. Shields argued that the policy was perhaps taking an overly punitive posture for a problem that may be small in size and scope. Both Moore and Henning agreed to solicit more input on the policy before a second reading. Dr. Duncan instructed Henning to benchmark MCS proposed policy with other LEA social networking policies at his upcoming school board attorney conference.


The Board will entertain a second reading (almost all new policies require two readings before they can be adopted) at the August meeting and may adopt the current policy, adopt a modified one, refer the policy back to HR and legal, or abandon the policy altogether.


(I would strongly urge concerned teachers and staff to review the policy and direct their concerns and suggestions to Board members, Dr. Duncan, Mr. Moore, and Mr. Henning. If you would like to pass them on by making anonymous comments below, I will forward them for you. Macon NCAE will certainly be weighing in on this issue.)

Free Eye Exam & Glasses Program
MCS Nursing Director Jennifer Garrett presented the Board with a program sponsored by the Essilor Vision Foundation and area eye doctors. MCS already provides K-8 vision screenings but this new program would provide actual eye exams as well as eyeglasses for students who cannot afford them and who do not have government provided insurance. Garrett explained that all too often students are identified with vision issues at the annual eye exam and parents are notified but for logistical and/or financial reasons, do not take their children for a follow-up eye exam. She cited an instance of a student who had been identified with vision issues at ten separate screenings but only this past year when Garrett took the family to the doctor was the eye disease diagnosed and addressed.

The program will operate somewhat similarly to the Molar Roller program but students will be bussed to one central location (a Franklin elementary school to be announced) for the eye exams. The exams will be by appointment. Parents can avail themselves and their children of the free program simply by providing an income statement and giving permission. Garrett projected that between 150 - 160 pairs of glasses will be given away in this charitable endeavor. Macon County Schools is the first North Carolina system to be part of the Essilor Foundation program. Dr. Duncan reported to the board that he had researched the program with a New York state principal who gave the project positive reviews.

Lowe's Charitable & Educational Foundation Grant
Franklin area Lowe's manager Van Crisp gave the Board the excellent news that Macon County Schools was chosen as a recipient of one of their grants, in the amount of $85,500. Crisp explained that it was the largest to date this year in NC. The monies are earmarked to renovate the some of the science lab and exceptional children classrooms at Franklin High. The work is slated to take place in the summer of 2013. Crisp explained that the Franklin Lowe's employees are ready to volunteer their labor for the project and FHS carpentry teacher Rick Rogers will also be part of the project. Consequently, the grant is essentially for materials and the volunteer labor will be able to substantially stretch the value of the grant.

NC School Nutrition Culinary Arts Competition Winners
Recently, the North Carolina. Public Schools Nutrition program held a competition for their cafeteria directors. Nantahala director Shirley Baldwin got first place for her yeast rolls and Franklin High director received second place for Lunch Plate Presentation. The Board and Dr. Duncan recognized their accomplishments and thanked them for what is frequently a thankless job.

Franklin High School Dance Team
Ten-year veteran cheerleading coach Jennifer Turner-Lynn, who stepped down as cheerleading coach last spring, didn't stay retired long. She and Franklin High principal, Dr. Chris Baldwin,presented the Board with a proposal to bring a dance team to FHS. Dr. Baldwin noted that with the departure of FHS's performing arts program and teacher a few years ago, students would be best served by creating a program which fostered performing arts skills as well as athleticism. Turner-Lynn projected that the team would have approximately 20 members. She has been in consultation with Western Carolina University and they will be conducting the mini-camp as well as overseeing the tryouts. The Board approved the addition of the dance team which will initially operate on a club basis.

Pam Collins re-hired
Former MCS Community Outreach Director Pam Collins was re-hired by the Board on a contract basis at $22 hr not to exceed 20 hours a week to oversee the New Century Scholars program. Collins had previously overseen the program as one of many duties before retiring last year. Oversight of the program had fallen to MCS Testing Director Pat Davis for 2011 - 2012. Dr. Duncan explained that while Mrs. Davis had done a fine job with the program, the increased workload coming from additional state testing requirements made the New Century program burdensome and that all parties would be best served by bringing Mrs. Collins back on a part-time basis.

Iotla Valley to be ready for occupancy "in a few days"
Terry Bell, who had been hired by the county to oversee construction of the new Iotla Valley School and to serve as liaison between the Macon County Commissioners and the BOE, reported to the Board that the top floor of the new school was merely days away from being ready for teachers and students to move in. Iotla Valley principal Gary Brown explained that the bottom floor will be blocked off for two reasons: there are no classrooms yet in use in that part of the building and finishing touches on construction will be completed while school is in session. Bell explained that the last pieces of tile were going down, that the water system was ready, the sewer system was ready and tested, and the phones were ready. IT Director Tim Burrell noted that the computer connections were "hot" and ready for new equipment to be installed. Bell signaled that much furniture was in the cafeteria awaiting the final tiling and waxing before being located in the classrooms and that more was on the way Monday July 23rd. Bell also noted that they had only days to work out any bugs compared to months when the move was made to Mountain View Intermediate.

Capital Outlay Expenditures Approved
The Board approved five separate capital outlay expenditures Thursday night:

• $20K for renovations at Union Academy
• $20K for a window upgrades at Nantahala
• $20K for a bell and clock system at Macon Middle
• $25K for custodial equipment at the new Iotla Valley School
• $12K for a new mower at Iotla Valley

Originally, the motion did not mention the mower as the Board had been informed by Mr. Bell that the grass would not be sown until mid-September and Board member Jim Breedlove wanted to shop around in the interim. The omission of the mower prompted Board member Tommy Baldwin to suggest that "they'll be cutting hay up there before too long". After further discussion and clarification that there indeed was substantial acreage already grassed over and that the existing 42-inch mower did not have the capacity to efficiently cut the grass, the motion was amended by Mr. Breedlove and the motion carried unanimously.

Using monies from the sale of the old Cartoogechaye School, Board approved an expenditure of $27,900 to repair the roof the Highlands School campus middle school building.

Reactionary legislature punishes teachers

At 1:12am this past Thursday morning, the North Carolina General Assembly under the leadership of Speaker Thom Tillis made what may well be an unprecedented power move in the Old North State. I’ll let veteran Raleigh News & Observer political reporter Rob Christiansen tell it:

“I’ve watched every North Carolina legislature since 1977 and have seen some powerful political mandarins work their will, including Democrats Jimmy Green, Liston Ramsey, Jim Black and Marc Basnight.”

“But I’ve never seen anything quite like last week’s hijinks, in which legislators voted to end the dues check off, making it harder for the NCAE [North Carolina Association of Educators] to collect dues from members.”

Governor Perdue had called the General Assembly back into session to allow the legislature the opportunity to override her veto of their re-write of the Racial Justice Act, a courtesy she was bound by law to extend. But when the legislators could not find the votes to override her veto of that bill, rather than adjourning the special session, they passed a resolution which they argue constitutionally allowed them to extend the session to consider other matters. Even hours before the vote, no Republican representative would go on the record as to what the plan was for the moonlight madness.

And so without any public notice, the organization whose membership comprises approximately one-third of this state’s public school teachers and who provides the strongest consistent voice for all teachers whether they are members or not, the organization which consistently lobbies for policies to best serve the K-12 children of this state whose families do not have the financial wherewithal to send them to private schools, was the recipient of what was intended to be a crippling blow by a single-vote margin.

There is no mistaking the motive in the vote, nor the creation of the bill itself, co-sponsored by the 50th district’s Senator Jim Davis. Five Democratic lawmakers made a decision last spring to join the GOP to override the Governor’s veto of the state budget which both the Governor and NCAE as evaluated deeply harmful to North Carolina’s public school children. NCAE sent mailers into those five representatives’ districts with specific criticisms of their actions and the budget they supported.

In the wake of the mailings, Speaker Tillis huddled with his troops in the legislature, hammering not a mere response but a method to attempt to once and for all, muzzle the collective NCAE voice. Speaker Tillis revealed the plan to eliminate seamless collection of dues by the various central offices across the state, the thinking being, make it harder for us to collect our dues, we’ll have fewer members, fewer dollars, more internal headaches, and thus a weaker voice in the public education debate.

We know this because an open microphone caught Speaker Tillis’s comments last June when the groundwork was being laid for the Thursday morning ambush: “The reason we’ve decided to do that is the NCAE has gone into all five districts with mailers hammering these Democrats…we just want to give them a little taste about what’s to come.” Once busted, the Speaker had no qualms speaking the truth Thursday morning about the vote, “Politics” was a factor, but there were several factors,” said Tillis.

NCAE went to court last Monday to seek a temporary restraining order, contesting both the constitutionality of the vote and the content of the bill itself, since other teachers who are members of other organizations such as the State Employees Association of NC can still have their dues deducted from their paychecks. In the meantime, we will be communicating work-arounds such as electronic funds transfers to our members. Headaches, yes; diminished voices, no.

This wasn’t the current legislature’s first attempt to cripple NCAE. Last spring they were successful in passing free liability insurance for all NC teachers and staff. That’s right — in the middle of a recession, NC lawmakers took scarce dollars to provide a benefit, not out of the goodness of their hearts, but in an attempt to make an NCAE benefit superfluous and, again, weaken our numbers and diminish our voice.

Why the discrimination, why was NCAE singled out with this new law? Speaker Tillis and his brethren claim we are a partisan organization. That argument seems difficult to square with his previous complaint that we went after five Democrats who crossed over to vote with his caucus.

It is also difficult to square with the fact that in 2008 NCAE’s political action committee gave money to the Republican House Majority Committee and the Committee to Elect Republican Women. A partial list of other NC Republicans we gave money to in 2008 includes: Dale Folwell, Robert Grady, Fletcher Hartsell, Jerry Tillman, Larry Brown, Kenny Furr, Laura Wiley, Karen Ray, Larry Hale, Shirley Blackburn Randleman, Harry Brown, Bonner Stiller, Mitchell Setzer, Sidney M, Sandy, Jean Preston, Pat B. Hurley, Linda P Johnson, and Richard Stevens. In short, NCAE gives money to candidates who demonstrate promise in supporting public education.

Make no mistake: Speaker Tillis and NC Senate Leader Phil Berger are leading what is perhaps the most reactionary legislature in NC’s history, hence the near-record number of vetoes which has Tillis and Berger aflutter. They have exceeded the traditional rules of the political game. They have clearly deserted the time-honored Republican principle of “small government.” Small government would have, at the very least, left the collection of NCAE dues as a local matter, not forbidden it outright as they did. But what’s a principle worth when the opportunity beckons to silence dissent? Not much, it appears.

Both sides sadly engage in gerrymandering districts for partisan advantage and that issue is in the NC courts as I write. But the elimination of the dues check off and monomaniacal push for NC’s Voter ID bill which currently stands vetoed, chart new waters. The obvious goal of the Voter ID bill is to silence dissent by reducing the voter turnout of the poor, the elderly, college students, and people of color — the demographics for whom the bill’s hurdles will serve as a latter-day poll tax and literacy test.

Speaker Tillis and Senator Berger have taken their cues from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) which serves to write much of their legislation and other reactionary legislatures which were swept into office in 2010 (SEE WISCONSIN, OHIO, MICHIGAN). The legislative language to eliminate the dues check off and the Voter ID bill aren’t indigenous to North Carolina — their birthplace is ALEC. (You can read all the model legislation at alecexposed.org). The mission is plain: diminish as much as possible any advocacy and political support, including votes, for traditional public services and their employees, then wash over what remains with the unlimited and anonymous corporate dollars undammed by the Citizens United decision.

I see on Speaker Tillis’s Facebook site that he made the decision to cancel his Charlotte Observer subscription after they criticized his late-night move. He’s going to want to avoid using Google either.

A quick search of North Carolina’s traditionally conservative editorial pages reveal consistent condemnation of the maneuver, if not the content of the bill itself as well. Moderates, who find such reactionary moves distasteful, are rebooting their traditional support of public education in North Carolina, and have offered the NCAE family tremendous comfort these past few days. The Speaker may put his fingers in his ears, cancel all his subscriptions, lay hazards in our midst, and unplug his computer, but our voices will still be heard.

And with that I’ll let Speaker Tillis have the last word: “Everybody knows that any time we come into a general session, that those matters are on the calendar and that this should be a learning experience.”

Indeed.

October 2011 State Board of Education Review

Oct2011SBEReview

Why Advocacy and Market Forces Fail Education Reform

Some interesting findings from Truthout's review of the peer-reviewed literature on how school choice and business models do not result in fixes -- either quick nor long-term -- for what ails public schools...

Taken as a whole, these numbers indicate significant limits on the capacity of public school choice and parental involvement to improve school quality and student performance within MPS [Milwaukee Public Schools]. Parents simply do not appear sufficiently engaged in available choice opportunities or their children 's educational activities to ensure the desired outcomes.... Relying on public school choice and parental involvement to reclaim MPS may be a distraction from the hard work of fixing the district 's schools. Recognizing this, the question is whether the district, its schools, and its supporters in Madison are prepared to embrace more radical reforms. Given the high stakes involved, district parents should insist on nothing less.

The think-tank advocacy process is chilling but effective: make claims through the media and move fast to the next thing before anyone has time to consider the evidence. Yes, the media is complicit here, because we know that think tanks and advocacy receive disproportionately more coverage without scholarly scrutiny when compared to university-based and peer-reviewed studies.

And be leery of fantastic claims made by free-market advocacy institutions such as the John Locke Foundation:

Think-tank advocacy focusing on education has increased over the past two decades, and although the think tanks have developed a strategy that involves creating the appearance of scholarship and research, the reality is that think tanks remain ideology-driven, not evidence-based.

Go read the whole excellent article here.

How Billionaires Rule Our Schools

Bill & Melinda Gates

Christy, Jim, Alice, and S. Robson Walton of the Walton Family Foundation

Eli & Edith Broad

From Dissent magazine

Drilling students on sample questions for weeks before a state test will not improve their education. The truly excellent charter schools depend on foundation money and their prerogative to send low-performing students back to traditional public schools. They cannot be replicated to serve millions of low-income children. Yet the reform movement, led by Gates, Broad, and Walton, has convinced most Americans who have an opinion about education (including most liberals) that their agenda deserves support.

Given all this, I want to explore three questions: How do these foundations operate on the ground? How do they leverage their money into control over public policy? And how do they construct consensus? We know the array of tools used by the foundations for education reform: they fund programs to close down schools, set up charters, and experiment with data-collection software, testing regimes, and teacher evaluation plans; they give grants to research groups and think tanks to study all the programs, to evaluate all the studies, and to conduct surveys; they give grants to TV networks for programming and to news organizations for reporting; they spend hundreds of millions on advocacy outreach to the media, to government at every level, and to voters. Yet we don’t know much at all until we get down to specifics.

Read the rest here....

Life in Hell -- The World of 52 new Standardized Tests in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

One Teacher's View

"Here's the teacher's report, edited slightly for length and clarity:

*Tests did not arrive at school until Friday, April 1. School administration did not have time to train test administrators enough to feel confident about giving the test.

*Special area classes (music, art, PE, etc) and ESL classes are cancelled this week so that those teachers may assist with testing. This is to ensure that classroom instruction can continue. However, students will miss those special area classes. Most teachers at my school have some planning time during the special area class time. They will not have planning time this week.

*I have 50 kindergarten students to test this week. That is about 20-30 minutes per test, times 50 students. It's mentally exhausting for me. I am wondering how much time the final summative tests will be. We have to administer those next month. We are looking forward to having to cancel instruction for a week then as well. 10 days of instruction lost, out of 180 instructional days. That's a lot.

*The second-grade test has been taking more than 50 minutes. 50 minutes is supposed to be the upper limit of the test. This is only for one portion of the test (like, just math, or just social studies).

*I could write about 5 pages about how poorly constructed the test itself was but I'm not sure how much that would fall into breaking test security. I can say anecdotally that I have administered many different types of tests and this is about the worst test I have ever seen, as a "standardized" test. I don't know how much CMS spent just getting this field test version, but it appears to have been a complete waste of money, at the same time we are decreasing services and planning to lay off hundreds of teachers. The wording of the questions, the graphics that go along with the questions, the instructions for assessing the student's answers... It's not good. That is worrisome since these will (perhaps) eventually be used for Pay for Performance. How can we respect a PfP model if it is built on faulty testing data?

*I am giving the kindergarten science test. It is 34 pages long, so 17 sheets of paper. That times an average of 25 students per kindergarten class at my school. If each K-2 test is about that long: There are 21 K-2 classes in my school. So, 17 sheets of paper x 25 students x 21 classes x the number of elementary schools in CMS. That's a lot of paper. We usually have to ration paper to make copies at school. We would love to have that amount of paper to use to support instruction

.


Read more: http://obsyourschools.blogspot.com/2011/04/cms-test-week-one-teachers-view.html#ixzz1KTBaXBR7

Let More Teachers Re-invent the Wheel

From Build Better Schools

Written by Joanne Yatvin

Many graduate students (and unfortunately, some of their professors) think that the Hawthorne anomaly illustrates the fact that human subjects who know they are part of a scientific experiment may sabotage the study in their eagerness to make it succeed. What it really shows is that, when people believe they are important in a project, anything works, and, conversely, when they don’t believe they are important, nothing works.

The second reason for championing greater creativity for all is that, through the process of inventing, people learn to understand what their inventions can and cannot do. They learn how to fine-tune them for optimum performance, and, maybe, figure out what changes are needed to produce even better models in the future. In short, they acquire the intimate knowledge of object, system, and use that makes an invention truly their own.

The third reason is simply that a big part of teaching is inventing. Good teachers invent successfully all day long, every day. They invent better ways to explain lessons, to entice reluctant learners, to bring unruly classes under control, and to fire children’s imaginations. When teachers won’t or can’t invent, believe me, the kids will–100 ways to shoot their teachers down. If we want good teaching at the bottom of the pyramid, we’ve got to let all teachers learn their craft.

Read the whole thing here.

Response to Vic Drummond

by John deVille, Macon County NCAE Vice-President

(published 4/21/2011 by Macon County News)

In April 8th edition of The Franklin Press, Vic Drummond charged both the Press itself, as well as North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), as co-conspirators in some nefarious plot to misinform the public as to North Carolina teacher salaries relative to those in the other 49 states.

Time for class Mr. Drummond.

You profess befuddlement at our contention that we have suffered an $1,800 a year cut and state that it just can't be. Consider the changes in our health care plan -- one of those benefits you believe to be understated. Take a look at Senate Bill 265 which at the time of the first Press article had passed both houses of the NC General Assembly. That bill, impacting all NC state employees health care plan called for the following increases: (1) a new premium on individuals going from what was $0 a year to $252 (2) an increase in annual premiums on the family health plan of $960. (3) An increase in annual deductibles of $133 (4) An increase in co-insurance maximums (sure to kick in with one one-night stay in a hospital) of $523.

Those four areas of increase total $1,868. Do they, taken together, constitute a pay cut? I guess you could call them a user fee, or a sickness tax...all we know is that the health care costs for us and our families are skyrocketing while our pay is frozen in place. Those numbers don't include other "user fees" contained in SB 265 -- increases in prescription co-pays, doctor visit co-pays, and so on. These numbers don't include the fact that our premiums for dependents shot up nine percent just two years ago before the current increases of 10.4% over the next two years....at least then our salaries weren't frozen.

The figure of $1,868 of increased health care costs doesn't include the impact of the frozen salaries. Yes, Mr. Drummond, we go "up the ladder" like we always have -- we just don't get paid for it anymore. With 15 years in service to public education with only a Bachelor's and no National Board Certification like so many of my colleagues, I should have made $40,690 this year before taxes and payment into my retirement plan. But I didn't. I'm still receiving what I made in 2008 - 2009 -- $39,670. So I lost $510 last year, will lose $1,020 this year, and will lose $1,550 next year when my step should be $41,220 instead of remaining at $39,670. Again, I don't know if you call those amounts "cuts" or what -- we call them breach of implicit contract at lunch.

In 1995-1996, North Carolina rolled out its ABCs of Public Education, one of many reform movements based on high-stakes standardized tests which eventually evolved into No Child Left Behind. The carrot in the ABCs for the teachers (other than the pleasure of being bullied out of the profession) were potential annual bonuses of $750 and $1,500. At Franklin High School we hit the big one at least once and we then tended hit growth targets netting the smaller bonus every other year. Now mind you, that's not $750 net, but after paying taxes and retirement we were left with about $480. Three years ago we hit the smaller target...and got half that amount from the state as we entered into recessionary darkness. And even though we still work as hard as we did since 1996 and hit the targets with the same frequency and level, the bonuses have disappeared.

Do the disappearing bonuses constitute cuts? Do the current proposals to do away with longevity pay, increased pay for Master's degrees and National Board Certification, to do away with the salary schedule all together and start from scratch -- will those be considered cuts by Mr. Drummond and his ilk? We feel like Charlie Brown, horizontal in the air, four feet off the ground, knowing that gravity will do its work, while the state plays all too well the role of Lucy taking away the promised football, sporting a Machiavellian grin. And you think we're making all this up? Do you truly believe, with all of this, that we are in the business, in your words, "to promote the premise that NC teachers are underpaid, in an attempt to grab more money from taxpayers for teacher salaries?"

Mr. Drummond states that he "believes national rankings based on average teacher salaries are dubious." Of course, he believes that -- reviewing and accepting a straightforward, apples to apples, state by state comparison of average teacher salaries doesn't support his narrative, a narrative which maintains North Carolina teachers are overpaid and "grabbing" for more. Let's take a look at his claims and numbers closely.

Mr. Drummond states that NEA/NCAE national comparisons don't include "retirement and healthcare plans, supplemental retirement plans, sick leave, vacations, bonuses, supplemental pay, days worked, and educational reimbursements." There are several reasons that neither the NEA nor any credible comparison includes those variables but they basically boil down to either that those particular "benefits" can't be accurately tabulated and thus fairly compared from state to state and/or the "benefits" aren't benefits or aren't current benefits.

How would Mr. Drummond have us calculate the health care plan as a benefit, especially as our out-of-pocket costs are going through the roof? Certainly it is a benefit and is worth something but as the co-pays, premiums, and everything else demand we pay more out of pocket, then certainly this benefit is worth substantially less than a few years ago. The specific amount less depends upon the individual, and as this is in a constant flux from person to person, state to state, plan to plan, no one can get anything approaching an accurate fix on relative value of these benefits. One certainly cannot perform the analysis at the level of precision required to delineate fully-loaded salary and benefit packages for the purposes of relative comparison. That is, unless one wants to use the John Locke Foundation method where providing statistical analysis and solid evidentiary data used to generate that analysis is optional.

Our retirement plans are not current benefits -- those benefits exist in the future, if we work that long, if we live that long. That's twelve more years as it stands for me, as I can then retire with full benefits at age 60 with 27 years of service. And where did the money in that fund come from? As it stands now, it all comes from our own paychecks, our own salaries. Does Mr. Drummond seriously claim monies deducted from our own paychecks to be held in retirement accounts are to be considered benefits in addition to our salaries? The state will indeed make a significant contribution to our contributions if we provide 25 - 30 years of service, but in any event that is a future benefit and is difficult to compare in real time, not unless you want to play John Locke Foundation games with the data.

Supplemental retirement plans are entirely funded by the individual teacher who elects to enroll -- no match; no state benefit. Sick leave is about the same from state to state; it has no monetary benefit in North Carolina but can be applied as days worked -- perhaps a teacher can retire after 29 years instead of 30. Vacations -- there aren't any paid vacations -- we work when the county tells us to work our 200 or so days. This coming year, our work year (not days actually worked) will be a week longer; summer will shrink from a little over 56 days to 44 this summer. Is that a cut? Summers, by the way, are frequently used for mandated professional development or to work a necessary second job -- is that a benefit?

I have no idea how Mr. Drummond construes "educational reimbursements" as benefits. We all pay for our graduate studies out of our own pockets. And even if there was a reimbursement, there would be a corresponding expense -- where's the benefit? I invite Mr. Drummond to actually take the time to talk to a classroom teacher and ask him or her about the purchase of classroom supplies which we pay for out of our own pockets which aren't reimbursed.

Mr. Drummond bemoans that the NEA/NCAE teacher salary comparisons don't take into account cost of living, age of teachers, and level of experience. Blending in cost of living data into average salaries on a state-wide basis and then comparing those figures to other states is a fool's errand at best. What is the cost of living in New York? Answer: it depends on where one lives in New York -- median prices of single family homes in 2005 were twelve times higher in Westchester County than they were in Allegany County.

We understand this dynamic quite well in Macon County. We had the second highest cost of living in NC in 1994 (the last year of published data I could find) out of 100 counties and even within one county, the cost of living varies dramatically from a house in Highlands to modest apartment in Franklin. Because the cost of living numbers are difficult to get at to begin with, because of their tremendous fluctuation within a state, because they make straightforward comparisons impossible, NEA/NCAE doesn't use them in their salary comparisons. For the same reason, in addition to the ones stated above, we don't include benefits, as they fluctuate wildly from district to district within states, as they are often negotiated at local levels. Organizations, such as the John Locke Foundation, include these stab-in-the-dark figures for their own purposes to arrive upon "adjusted average compensation" figures with the laughable conclusion that North Carolina teachers are paid $4,000 more than the national average. In our dreams, Mr. Drummond.

Finally, Mr. Drummond charges NCAE with duping the public and The Franklin Press by withholding data which he believes contradicts our position that we are currently 45th in average teacher salary by pointing to information from our parent association indicating that we are all the way at position #28 rather than at #45. The only problem with this argument is that the data underlying the position #45 analysis is the most recent available coming from the fall of 2010, which looks at the salaries for the 2010-2011 school year. The data from the NEA chart Mr. Drummond cites is clearly marked as coming from 2008 - 2009 -- two-year old data! -- the John Locke Foundation three card monte switcheroo once again.

So are we saying that we fell from 28th to 45th in only two years? Yep. That's what happens when North Carolina freezes salaries and other states like South Carolina increase pay. Salaries going down, health care costs skyrocketing, bonuses gone, supplemental pay on the chopping block, and we're accused of "grabbing." The accusation is as disgusting as it is ludicrous.

Unfortunately, Mr Drummond's inaccurate claims and my necessarily lengthy reply cloud the main issue -- in general, teachers aren't particularly well paid. In North Carolina, we were getting close to the national average, but Raleigh's commitment to us and our students has waned and then gone off the cliff with GOP majority control in both houses. As I write this, the budget bill which just passed the NC House has another 20,000 K-12 jobs on the chopping block.

Dismissed.

Minutes of 4/12 Meeting

At our AR and executive board meeting tonight, we had thorough discussions and deliberated over a number of issues. Below you will see the results of some of our decisions:

1. Let Rena know immediately, if you plan to go with us on May 3rd. We will reimburse the $50.00 needed to take personal leave for up to 9 MCAE members for the Rally in Raleigh. The bus is filling up quickly, so let Rena know ASAP or you may be without a ride from Asheville. (We will ride from Franklin to Asheville; the bus will leave Asheville at noon and then we will return after the rally.)

rena.sutton@macon.k12.nc.us

2. We will hold a meeting to inform members and non-members about what is happening in Raleigh on May 10. We are inviting leaders from our organization and the region to help us be prepared for the wave of change that is coming from Raleigh, as proposed today and as it develops. Public education and our jobs and the jobs of our peers are at risk. Consider the plights of others, even if you feel protected for some reason(s). Read tonight's DPB updates at www.ncae.org if you need further evidence; it is very sad.

Rena Sutton -- MCAE Secretary

The Art Pope File

From Chris Kromm, Institute of Southern Studies

Last November, the Republican tidal wave that washed Democrats out of North Carolina’s legislative leadership for the first time in more than a century caught many off guard—but perhaps no one was as baffled as state Sen. John Snow.

A quiet Democrat from the mountains, Snow made few enemies and largely avoided controversy during his three terms in office. Indeed, he was approvingly rated by the Civitas Institute, a conservative think tank, as one of the Legislature’s most right-leaning Democrats. His opponent, dentist Jim Davis, was a newcomer to state politics, and Snow felt good about his chances of being re-elected.

Then the money started pouring in. First the state GOP, smelling an upset, helped Davis amass a $534,000 campaign war chest—a lot of money for the small 50th Senate district, but Snow and the Democrats still thought they could keep pace.

But Snow was blindsided by a flurry of blistering attack ads and mailers that began popping up across the district, all coming from two little-known groups: Real Jobs NC and Civitas Action. By Election Day, the two organizations had unleashed $265,000 worth of ads benefiting Snow’s Republican opponent, according to state campaign finance records.

Read the whole thing here....

More on Art Pope here...

Rhee the Reformer

We Cannot Afford to Increase Class Sizes

By Rena Sutton; Macon County NCAE Secretary & Past President

Teachers across North Carolina hear how the budget might “require” lay-offs. One repercussion of lay-offs is larger class sizes. Teacher assistant positions, also under the chopping block, have dwindled in the elementary schools to the point of basic coverage in the primary grades. The teaching profession is in disbelief that our lawmakers will put larger numbers of children into already overcrowded classrooms. This is regressive and opposes research-modeled reform efforts calling for 15:1 student-teacher ratios. Ditto for the National Association of Elementary School Principals and NEA.

Today’s children are equal in value to the children in any previous generation, but they face more issues. Challenges include children whose parents are at war, more broken homes, single parents, poverty, homelessness, drugs and hopelessness. We have known and then proven that poverty is a major contributor to multiple factors which can place children at risk for learning and health. “For every talent that poverty has stimulated it has blighted a hundred.” (John W. Gardner)

Our profession has made strong strides toward more differentiation, which requires frequent diagnostic evaluations to test the effectiveness of our teaching. The adage: “Just because you teach it does not mean the child learns it!” is being taken seriously. Our profession is trying to illuminate each student’s needs as the central focus of a growth model. Some legislator voices threaten the tax support we had for this advanced reform model. Our educational gains could diminish.

At a recent interview at our school, teachers were asked what they would do with a larger class size added to their increasing responsibilities and numerous evaluations. There was a quiet, painful pause in the discussion. One teacher had analyzed using different evaluations and found she had a large group of high achievers and a large group of low achievers and only a few in the middle range at that grade level. She said, unfortunately, she would be forced to minimize individualization options. In other words, she would teach students in the middle as students lagging behind or needing to surge ahead would get slighted. Successful teachers need time to build relationships with each child.

Study after study tells us this about smaller class size: increased achievement, significant improvements of percentile rankings using smaller classes, narrowed gaps between economically disadvantaged groups, minority and majority groups. Additionally, studies noted better social adaptability, less dropouts, and the ability to take higher level math and other subjects.

A sincere, highly competent, young teacher expressed to me that she feels class size is a major contributor to her success as a teacher. Each additional student increases the range and types of needs. Discovering and then answering these needs cannot be taken lightly. The teacher feels burdened that legislators are considering reduction of public education funds and teachers. This in turn directly influences the successful education of each child.

A veteran, NBCT educator who has invested her life, career and her personal money laid it straight: “We educators put the children first, and we expect the legislators to do the same!” and then she left the room to make additional preparations to do what she does best: teach.

NCAE Calls for Boycott of Art Pope Businesses!

Since the beginning of the current session of the North Carolina General Assembly, educators around the state have been actively speaking out for education in the face of threats of cutting the state's education budget by as much as 15 percent. The Wear Red campaign has helped the movement gain visibility, and the North Carolina Association of Educators have vowed to continue the campaign until education funds are protected. The banner above, made by the local NCAE chapter has been circulating the district for weekly photo ops. On Feb. 14, teachers and staff at East Franklin showed their colors.

From the Macon County News:

The largest association of educators in the state is calling for a boycott of all businesses owned by Art Pope, a North Carolina business man and political insider who has contributed millions of dollars to conservative groups pressing for the elimination of caps on charter school funding. The decision to call for the boycott was made last week at the annual convention of the North Carolina Association of Educators.

Art Pope is the president of Variety Wholesalers, Inc., and a director of the conservative political advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity. Pope is also a major supporter of the Civitas Institute, and he holds a seat on the boards of directors for the John Locke Foundation, the Atlas Economic Research Foundation and the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association. Variety Wholesalers is the parent group to a number of popular stores in the state such as Roses, Maxway, Value Mart, Super 10 and Super Dollar (though not Dollar General), among others owned by Variety Wholesalers Inc.

Read the rest of the story here......

The Budget Situation

LOWER TAXES! STRETCHED BUDGETS! = Higher probability of teacher, salary and benefits reductions, especially with no resistance.

Although there are many people trying to keep this from happening, budget cuts are assuredly on their way. Due to the stimulus package coming to an end, and the new power shift in Raleigh and in Washington, tax cuts are already being recommended. This means that the tax on things such as cigarettes, beer, and other items, will be considered overburdening, I guess, and educator’s jobs and education budgets will be at high risk.

LEAs may be given the “control” of governing the answer to the cuts. Does that sound good, even with good management in the LEA? Can you imagine what a choice this is for counties and central administration? Without funding to support the budget, 5 to 10% cutbacks are predicted, in addition to the stimulus package coming to an end. I am afraid that the salary scale will be only a suggestion. Wake County has already announced huge cuts in educators will be necessary. One LEA was considering leveling pay to $40,000 despite education and experience, according to a report at our district meeting last week. As you know, this would be bankruptcy for many educators. There would be more stops on climbing to a higher rate of income before retirement, less new hires, and the list grows longer. Hopefully not, but would they try to decrease input to our retirement fund? People in non-government jobs are eyeballing our retirement with envy, even though the rate of income is lower than a lot of states. At a recent State Employees Credit Union meeting, I asked the people from the state offices to help us, or foreclosures by educators would be more numerous.

We, at NCAE and MCAE, do not want educators to panic. What good would that do any of us? We do have jobs at this time and we do have power in numbers. Whether your fellow faculty members or staff members are members or not, we owe them the “heads up” on this problem. We need to unite in force to save our jobs and careers! You got the email from June Atkinson’s office. The problem is here. We have to deal with it.

If you voted for new persons and they won, you are the ones that have the most influence on the current power group. All parties and all persons can lobby any public elected official. They are public servants and are representing their constituency. You might want to represent yourself to them. Do not be hoodwinked by complacency, for that has not been proven to be of any influence for change.

Executive board meeting is December 6, 2010 and all ARs may attend and all officers at 4pm in John deVille's classroom at FHS. We will have a general meeting with speakers, soon!

A member from S. Macon volunteered to go to Raleigh with me, today. Be thinking about what political action you will take and then take it.

Yours,

Rena O. Sutton, Secretary MCAE

Message from our Secretary, Rena Sutton

MEMBERSHIP:
I am concerned that we have all been so busy that we have not invited people to join NCAE. Please do this. Invite fellow educators to join our team of NCAE members. I usually sign up several new members by now and with all the changes in the county, the format, the meetings and the children themselves, I have not taken the time yet to invite many people to join. I don’t know what we would do without NCAE/NEA. Where would our advocacy for professional educators come from, if we cannot stand for ourselves?

NCAE and NEA have been such a big part of the educational wins. We have worked with PTO, superintendents, administrators and other organizations, and that has been so helpful! However, we are always vigilant watch dogs for education and will not stop. When last minute legislation was passed before a holiday to save educators’ jobs, we read the fine print and saved master, NBCT, and advanced degree pay from being cut, by asking for clarification of language in the bill!!! We would have been leveled out on the bachelor’s degree, despite the long hours of not being with our families or following other pursuits while we got our added degrees and advanced certifications and tried to improve our delivery of education.

NCAE fought hard and kept longevity. We have not gotten a pay-cut and NCAE and NEA insured that the money was there not to cut teacher jobs in 2010. LEA’s that use the ability to have furloughs will have to lose central office positions and other considerations first. We have made these legislative gains and saves with lobbyists, Uni-serve directors, and flocks of members making legislative visits and phone calls, and sending many emails, too. I have written editorials for the state organization representing our concerns.

NCAE and our members have advocated for teacher assistants, bus drivers, and every member of the educational team. We have advocated for administrators in many ways. We have protected the retirement fund. Our organization fought against Medicaid cuts which would have taken away state budget dollars and cost us more educational related jobs.

I am surprised that our dues went up only 25 dollars and NEA’s only went up 4 dollars for the year. That is less than 4 dollars a month. What a deal to still have my job for that amount and have progress in education and benefits, too! We had to have a due raise or become less effective. We must stay strong! The struggle in this economy has cost too many educational personnel their young careers, put too many in the unemployment line, and caused too many to fear retirement.

***REMIND EVERYONE TO JOIN FOR THEIR GOOD, FOR OUR GOOD, FOR THE GOOD OF THE STUDENTS, AND FOR THE COMMON GOOD. ***

Positions Available

Hello District 1-A Members –

We have the following vacancies on Committees and Commissions for the 2010-2011 school year – please let us know if you have a member that would be interested in representing District 1-A next year –

• Elections Committee
• Membership Committee


Have a great week.
Anna Austin
District 1-A President

Contact Anna at aeaustin75@bellsouth.net

2010 NCAE State Convention

2010 NCAE State Convention

UNITE, ORGANIZE, EMPOWER... We are NCAE!

This year's convention was held March 18-20, 2010, in Winston-Salem. The location made the ride more reasonable for the far west representatives! The annual convention is the largest gathering of NCAE members and the Representative Assembly is the highest governing body of the Association. Local delegates were Tracey Shumway, Saul Olvera, Alton Sutton, and Rena Sutton. We had only four that were nominated and we had more seats to fill, thus we had no need for an election this year. Elected delegates are responsible for listening, discussing, debating and representing their local members concerning pertinent educational issues. Delegates receive, review and act on proposed constitutional amendments, resolutions and new business items. The work of the committees and commissions are reviewed. The RESULT is that our collective action will determine the role that NCAE plays in transforming education in North Carolina (see NCAE News Bulletin, March, 2010). North Carolina representatives also impact the role of NEA’s influence in federal government and promote the interconnectedness of state organizations.

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel gave a personal address to convention attendees. He stressed that we are and will be in the forefront of transforming the lives of tens of thousands of students by significantly raising academic achievement. He emphasized that the status quo is not acceptable, saying that the work has changed and we need a different system. He has recently led the launch and work of the NEA Priority Schools Campaign: Disturbing the Status Quo.

By trying to represent our local members, here are some of the issues that caught my attention:

• Pay reinstatement for the half-day taken from us at the end of last year.
• U.S. History concerns about reduced curriculum causing incomplete coverage.
• Thawing out the Salary Schedule...
• Continued re-structuring of the tax base…
• Concerns about the protection of university athletic recruitment at the expense of K-12 budget…
• Protection of educators’ roles, staffing, and appropriate student developmental expectations…
• Planning of educators’ actions in response to a trend toward differentiated pay…
• And more…

I can reassure all members that your representatives stayed the course of the entire convention, which ran into the late afternoon. We were attentive and participated in discussions, amendments, etc. Please consider volunteering to be a delegate next year, you will be amazed at the democracy in action and you will be proud to be NCAE. Unite, organize, and empower are exactly what we need to do to stay strong and have a short and long term impact on education.

Want to know more? Call me or email me!

Rena Sutton, MCAE Secretary and Delegate to Convention 2010

NCAE Assistance for National Board Certification

Dear Members and Non-Members:

FYI: NCAE offers helpful workshops for National Board Candidates.  These workshops are offered in a time-appropriate fashion to facilitate where you may be in the process.  NBCT's  (Teachers that have achieved certification) are present to mentor you.

 
 

Members are eligible and will find that many of these services or workshops are free.

 
 

National Board writing is a different process than writing for a college course.  It involves two or three major styles of writing in each entry.  There are so many questions that a colleague that has been through the process can understand why you are asking.  NCAE and NCCAT workshops are good ones.

 
 

Please go to www.ncae.org  then look at the list on the mid-left.  Click on the conferences/workshop resources and go through the list of workshops for locations and topics of National Board Workshops.

 
 

Let me know if I can help.

 
 

Rena O. Sutton, Counselor, NBCT, MCAE Secretary

S. Macon Elementary, 369-0796, 304

Message from Sheri Strickland

Dear North Carolina Educator –

We know that public education in North Carolina is important to you. You are concerned about your classroom, your children’s future, and you know that many critical education decisions are made at the North Carolina General Assembly.

An integral part of keeping you informed about important issues facing public school education is NCAE’s Daily Political Briefing. No other daily publication in the state – including newspapers, blogs or tv/radio – keeps you as informed and up-to-date about PK-12 education politics at the North Carolina General Assembly. From floor votes to behind-the-scenes conversations in back-rooms, DPB uncovers what really goes on in North Carolina politics and shares it with 100,000 readers like you each day during the legislative session.

While DPB is a voice for public education advocacy, NCAE’s true effectiveness comes from a strong and powerful membership base that demands change when injustices are revealed and reported. Imagine the strength and effectiveness of 100,000 members of NCAE standing together to fight for public education in a time when classroom resources are being drained and student learning is compromised.

I invite you to join NCAE today so that we can have an impact on the decisions made that will affect public education this year. I am also inviting you to join a dynamic and diverse community of North Carolina educators who share common benefits, best professional practices, and legal protections in the workplace. I am inviting you to join something special – a movement to make great public schools in North Carolina for every child.

To join today, contact Brian Lewis, author of DPB, at brian.lewis@ncae.org or at (800) 662-7924 extension 256. If you want to enroll without assistance using a credit card, you can join by visiting https://sites.nea.org/JoinNea/.

If you are receiving this email and you are a current member, please continue to stay informed through the DPB and encourage non-members to sign up to receive the DPB and to join us in our efforts on behalf of public education and the children of our state.

Thank you again for reading NCAE’s Daily Political Briefing and I hope we hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Sheri Strickland

NCAE President

NCAE President Sheri Strickland Visits Franklin Area Schools

Dear Association Representatives and Officers:

The following will serve as minutes of our training session on September 16, 2009, at the Boiler Room in Franklin, NC. Present at the meeting were the following: President Sheri Strickland, NCAE; Victoria Mahler, President MCAE; Monica Miller, AR; Tracey Shumway, VP; Cathy Tippett, AR; Saul Olvera, Membership Chair; Sandy Keener, Treasurer; Amanda Waldroop, AR; John deVille, Communications Chair; Rena Sutton, Secretary; Michael Waters, AR; and Shelley Marshall, AR.

We had a wonderful dinner and training session yesterday. Pres. Sheri Strickland took our questions and concerns and discussed them or took notes as needed. During the meeting and the entire day, she was very open to member input, out of concern and so she and other staff members of NCAE could voice concerns at various committee meetings such as those held with the NC Board of Education, the governor, meetings with legislators, etc.

Pres. Strickland had spent the day with us. We had her visit the largest schools (South Macon, MMS, and FHS) to maximize the amount of input from members to their elected, highest executive officer in our professional organization, NCAE. She would have liked to have visited all of the schools, but her one day visit was well received where she was able to go.

Rena Sutton, Saul Olvera and John deVille hosted her at several schools. Members and non-members that were able to see her gave her large amounts of thanks for NCAE helping to save so many teachers' jobs and for being able to save our salaries and importantly, allowing us to move up the scale of years of experience. NCAE felt recognition of years of experience on a frozen pay scale were necessary, so we could return to the level of pay we deserve when the economy improves.

The thrust of Pres. Strickland's talk with us concerned member involvement. We have found out that even education is not held harmless by rough, economic times. Up to 20,000 educators could have lost their jobs and many were saved; we are not able to have the final count yet. The veteran teachers could have lost their longevity, because the money was not there even with severe cuts. Education is the biggest cost for our state and educational personnel is about 90% of that operational cost. For those members that have been reading their daily political updates, we saw the crashing of education that was going to take place. Due to the insistence of NCAE to find a more stable (good times and bad economic times) tax base to support the state's needs which include education, and due to NEA's influence on federal policy that includes stimulus dollars, we were able to minimize personnel and program loss. NCAE polled the NC public and found that what they wanted less than more taxes was less quality in public education. NO other "professional organization" has done more to insure quality in public education. It was a difficult summer during difficult times, and our organization and many of its members worked with all shareholders to produce phenomenal results considering the circumstances.

It is impossible to influence legislative results and stay apolitical. Educators that want to make a difference for their students and their profession are needed in our membership to help further empower education, by adding their experienced voices to our voice as an organization. Active membership and new members will help us prevent and or remediate shortfalls, because they can add their frontline voice on policy issues. We not only need NEA/NCAE, but to be our best as an organization, we as NCAE members need current and new members to make their voices heard and their concerns represented by joining and participating in our organization.

Our emails, meetings with legislators, and lobbyists, etc. give those elected government representatives an informed voice. Additionally, more voices in our organization gives the organization the information to be more effective for strengthening public education.

I would like to paraphrase Pres. Strickland's speech: NEA/NCAE needs you! In this day and time, it can not only be seen through the rose-colored glasses of service or what it can do for us, albeit important. Our organization also has to be seen through what we can do to preserve and push forward the cause of public education for the sake of our students and our profession.

The meeting ended about 6:45.

Respectfully submitted,

Rena O. Sutton, MCAE Secretary

September 17, 2009