All tagged public schools
North Carolina is growing—with over 600,000 new North Carolinians moving to the Tar Heel State over the past five years. And as is almost always the case, driving that population increase is economic expansion. North Carolina is a top state for manufacturing and business, and many companies are looking to come to or expand in North Carolina, bringing with them tens of thousands of high paying jobs and further cementing the state’s status as an economic powerhouse in the South.
In rural communities, like the many we have here in North Carolina, local public schools are often community hubs, serving as places of learning as well as connection and growth. Likewise, local businesses are often important pieces of what makes a rural community what it is, making relationships between the two not just beneficial, but essential.
RALEIGH: On Tuesday, Governor Roy Cooper visited Leicester Elementary School in Buncombe County as part of the “Year of Public Schools” education tour and delivered supplies collected from the Governor’s School Supply Drive. The Governor was joined by teachers, students, local and state education leaders and local elected officials as he highlighted the outstanding work taking place in North Carolina’s public schools and how public education is strengthening North Carolina’s communities.
RALEIGH: As Governor Cooper continues the “Year of Public Schools,” school boards from at least 10 school districts are calling on the General Assembly to make meaningful investments in teacher pay and fully fund our public schools instead of further expanding the state’s dangerous taxpayer-funded private school voucher scheme.
North Carolina’s traditional public schools are represented by 115 county and city school districts. For almost 100 years since the Great Depression and the Machinery Acts of 1931 and 1933, the State of North Carolina has provided the preponderance of financial support for most of the public school employees in these school districts.
North Carolina’s youngest students are continuing to improve on reading benchmarks due to literacy reforms included in the Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021.
Others cannot help but raise an eyebrow when I tell them that, not only did I thoroughly enjoy teaching 7th grade, but my favorite class to teach - 4th period - included a 25-minute lunch break in the middle of the class period. Although the unpadded circular seats took some time getting used to, I cherished the opportunity to build bonds with my students each day. It was during lunchtime, however, that I noticed the impact that a missed meal has on a student.
On May 23, Governor Roy Cooper sent a letter to all state legislators in the House and Senate urging them to make meaningful investments in North Carolina’s public schools, students and teachers and stop their plans to dismantle public education by causing public schools to lose hundreds of millions of dollars through the expansion of private school vouchers, exacerbating the state’s teacher shortage and providing no substantive funding for early childhood education and child care.
North Carolina's General Assembly has introduced a bill that seeks to clarify requirements for reproductive health and safety education in public schools. The bill, known as House Bill 185, or H185, was introduced on February 27, 2023, and has been referred to the Education-K-12, Health, and Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House committees.
The fight over Critical Race Theory grabs headlines. But there’s a more fundamental problem plaguing public schools.
North Carolina’s self-described teachers’ union still has clout with many Democratic lawmakers in the legislature, but its influence — and popularity — with teachers and everyday North Carolinians appears to be waning.
A bill that would prohibit public schools from promoting controversial viewpoints related to Critical Race Theory cleared the N.C. Senate on Thursday. Debate about the bill featured rare personal attacks among senators.
"The State Board of Education is constitutionally and statutorily charged with administering children’s education in state public schools, including charter schools. It is critical that the Board have both of their appointments to the Charter School Advisory Board to carry out its constitutional duties."
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is backing a national group's fight against "anti-American indoctrination," including critical race theory, in public school classrooms. The group 1776 Action released a video this week with Robinson explaining his support for the campaign. The group released the video on Twitter.
The N.C. State Board of Education has approved the final round of “unpacking documents” for new controversial social studies standards for K-12 public schools.
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and the Senate’s top officer are calling out Charlotte-Mecklenburg school leaders, after the state’s second-largest school system paid $25,000 to a top proponent of Critical Race Theory.
Four North Carolina teachers will get new tools and technology to help teach about outer space and inspire and empower students in the field of space exploration. The space education bundles are valued at $5,000 each and include a large Mars or Moon learning map, Mimio Mybot educational robotics system, a Lunar or Mars Pro Globe with augmented reality technology, and many other resources.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has selected 17 school districts and 11 charter schools to participate in a pilot program to deploy COVID-19 rapid testing in K-12 public schools where any in-person instruction is happening.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is launching a pilot program to deploy COVID-19 testing in K-12 public schools to quickly identify students and staff who may have the virus to help slow its spread.
