Yes, this push for Democrats is one of the reasons I don't come to this board often. I vehemently hate both parties; both exist only to perpetuate their own jobs and power. Neither is genuinely trying to help the people.
The only real option for us as individuals is to ignore labels and spend time researching the candidates. Watch the debates, read non-biased articles from a variety of sources, and make your decisions based upon the candidates' actual platforms.
Source: PENC email We are actually getting a raise, and not just for the younger folks. I can't copy the whole thing, so I'll just hit some highlights:
A first year teacher gets nothing. Fair. $3500/month for someone with NO experience isn't half bad, and they got good raises two years (two years?) ago.
A teacher with one year experience gets $75/month this year ... and in 2018-2019 gets another $25. Again, they got good raises a couple years ago.
A teacher with ten years experience gets $25 now and another $450 in 2018-2019. That's a big deal.
A teacher with twenty years experience gets $150 now and another $200 in 2018-2019.
A teacher with twenty-five years experience gets $100 now ... and nothing more ever. So the top-out salary is $51,000.
The five-year increments are gone for younger teachers, but 15-19 years is still one big lump, as is 20-24 and 25+ years experience.
I can't see any rational reason for how the raises were allocated, except that they do seem to benefit the upper-level-but-not-top-of-the-salary range teacher; that is, those in the 10-20 bracket.
I'm very glad to see these are salary increases and not bonuses. Why? Because salary increases help our pensions, whereas bonuses do not.
You addressed this comment to me. What makes you think I'm "hell bent on voting for the current Republicans"? For what it's worth, I'll be voting against McCrory and for a third-party presidential candidate.
Anyone who judges political candidates simply by one label is an idiot who deserves to have his or her voting rights revoked. This is especially true for a teacher, who should encourage people to investigate facts -- not jump at one label.
Serious question. You're past 30 years, so you could collect a full pension -- and health coverage. Why don't you retire? After 30 years, your pension really doesn't increase significantly, and your age doesn't matter. If the pension isn't enough for your needs, you could work part-time at a job that doesn't require you to bring home any work ... and you could have as much money as you make now.
After years of complaints of paltry spending on public education in North Carolina, public school leaders say they may soon be facing another round of devastating cuts.
School officials say a late August memo from Gov. Pat McCrory’s chief budget officer signals that all state departments, including the public schools, must soon present options for a 2 percent cut in their 2017-2019 budget, roughly a $173 million loss for North Carolina schools.
All departments are required to present their proposals for cuts to the state budget office by the end of this month, according to the memo from Andrew Heath, state budget director for McCrory.
“The budget development process is an opportunity to review the use of public funds entrusted to the state,” wrote Heath in the memo. “Agencies are encouraged to look for opportunities to improve program delivery and agency operational efficiency.”
The reduction, according to the state’s top school leaders, could have drastic implications for the state’s teaching force, classroom supplies and teaching assistants, as well as funding for special needs and at-risk children, low-wealth counties, transportation and career and technical education—practically every major component of the state’s public school system.
If the cut was made solely to the teaching force, the state would be forced to jettison nearly 3,000 teaching positions, according to one proposal before the State Board of Education. Other proposals could spread the reduction across line items, or direct local school systems to find equivalent reductions in their local budget.
For the state’s largest districts, Wake County Public School System and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, it could amount to staggering losses of $17.8 million and $16.6 million, respectively
Additionally, the budget directive from McCrory’s office comes at a surprising time, school officials say, pointing out the state reported expecting a $425 million surplus this year.
“Why do we have to make cuts when we know we need to fund public education in our state?” said June Atkinson, superintendent of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, in an interview with Policy Watch this week.
North Carolina is currently ranked 44th in the nation in per-pupil spending, and school advocates like Atkinson have long argued that, even with increased North Carolina spending on schools in recent years, the state’s school budget has failed to keep pace with schools’ growth and inflation.
“Based on my information, over 38 years, it is very unusual in a year that we are not facing a budget deficit that we are asked to make a cut,” DPI Finance Director Philip Price told Policy Watch.
Heath could not be reached for a phone interview this week, citing the ongoing cleanup from Hurricane Matthew, but he told Policy Watch in an email that the Aug. 26 memo is simply following “longstanding and prudent budget development process employed by” his Office of State Budget Management, or OSBM.
Heath added in the email that he would “anticipate continued education budget increases.” However, the memo issued to all departments indicates that any expansion requests in their budget proposals must be combined with reductions to create a revenue neutral budget or savings.
That means any additional funding provided to the schools for a specific purpose must be offset by cuts elsewhere in the schools’ budget plan.
Heath’s memo adds that the request marks a “starting point” for creation of McCrory’s 2017-2019 budget recommendations to the N.C. General Assembly. It’s worth noting that legislative leaders have frequently discarded many of the governor’s proposals in developing their own final budget.
“Our school districts are actually starving now,” Jewell said. “This will only inflict further damage to those who are in the classroom.”
Despite the enormous implications for the state’s schools, the behind-the-scenes budget wrangling has passed largely without public attention in recent weeks.
That may be partially because members of the N.C. State Board of Education were expected to consider proposals for the cuts on Oct. 5, but a prepared presentation was removed from the agenda shortly before the meeting.
Price, DPI’s finance director, tells Policy Watch that’s because he was told that the directive from McCrory’s office may not apply to the state’s schools, indicating there had been a “change of heart.”
However, after the meeting, Price said he was told that the reduction requirement would indeed apply to the schools. This week, Price said it now seems like shelving the presentation was a “ploy” to avoid a public discussion of the matter with the election in a matter of weeks.
Price said he can’t recall who asked him to drop the presentation from the Oct. 5 agenda. However, that meeting was led by the board’s vice chairman, A.L. “Buddy” Collins, a GOP appointee of McCrory. Policy Watch covered Collins’ controversial appointment in 2013. Collins did not respond to a Policy Watch interview request this week.
Nevertheless, school leaders say they expect to convene a special session of the state board to discuss the budget issue in the coming weeks.
Among the choices, school board members could confine the cuts to a single spending category or spread it across the department’s spending plan. Either would have major ramifications for the state’s educators, forcing the state to possibly shed thousands of teaching positions, career and technical educators or teacher assistants.
Both proposals would also drain millions from funds designated to benefit at-risk students, special needs children and low-wealth counties in the state, according to Price.
Atkinson said she believes axing teaching positions will ultimately be one of the final options, pointing out state leaders have opted to weather past cuts by asking local districts to find the savings.
“We let local school districts decide where to make the cuts rather than making the decision for 115 school districts at one time,” Atkinson said. “That would probably be an option that would be more accepted.”
Atkinson added that state board members could also decline to put forth any cuts in preparing their budget, which would require vetting by the governor’s office and the N.C. General Assembly anyway before approval.
“In the past, the board has said, ‘We’re sorry, we can’t make this cut because the needs are too great at this time,’” said Atkinson. “But I can’t predict what the state board will do.”
For his part, Price said he’s confused by the request, given the state’s recent surplus, and disputes assertions from the governor’s office that this is a “routine event.”
“To come into this year and outline a cut, certainly they’re not telling me that the tax changes they created last year are going to create a deficit, are they?” said Price. “It’s very odd.”
“Under Governor McCrory and in prior administrations, OSBM has consistently asked for agencies to identify efficiencies so that we are responsibly spending taxpayer money,” wrote Heath. “The 8/26 memo is reflective of sound budget practice which has enabled Governor McCrory to target spending in priority areas such as education, teacher pay and savings reserve. Given that North Carolina has one of the best, if not the best, performing economies in the nation and the world, the 8/26 memo was not made with the expectation that the state will be facing a deficit.”
State budget leaders were expected to meet with departments during September and early October, at which time top state officials would present their key budget priorities. Atkinson said it will be her job to lobby for the schools’ needs.
“This is continuing to be an administration that wants to focus on austerity rather than move us forward,” said Jewell. “It’s very troublesome to look at a proposal that would take addition
NCSSM offers free Interactive videoconference STEM enrichment sessions for students grades K-9 to enhance classroom learning. All sessions are aligned with the NC curriculum.
Are you a licensed elementary education teacher with the commitment and desire to teach students with disabilities, including those with moderate and severe disabilities, in the least restrictive environment? If so, we have an opportunity for you!!
Project TLC is a federally funded master's program in special education with an emphasis in adapted curriculum.
TLC Scholars receive: * Full tuition and fees for a master's degree * Full tuition for teacher leadership training though the Dale Carnegie Institute * $8,000 annual stipend to offset other expenses (e.g., parking, conference travel, textbooks)
TLC scholars commit to the following: *Serving students with moderate and severe disabilities in LRE * 2.5 years of part-time graduate studies, beginning June 2017 (14 scholars will be selected) - Course delivery will include different delivery formats (e.g., online, face-to-face, and blended formats) throughout the program - Required summer class attendance - Required monthly Dale Carnegie Institute leadership activities
TLC Scholars must have: * Support from their principal for program activities *Elementary Education teaching license
On 8/24/16, Bravo!! wrote: > On 8/2...See MoreI've been considering leaving the profession too. I love the kids and I love teaching, but it's all of the other non- teaching related junk that just ruins it. My problem is I've been teaching for so long I don't know what else I'd do. What did the rest of you do after you resigned from your position?
On 8/24/16, Bravo!! wrote: > On 8/24/16, Mikey777 wrote: >> I left NC last year for a better paying state. I just >> resigned on the 6th day of my second year here. I have >> been teaching about 20 years and I am mid 40s. I can't >> do this anymore. My main reason: It is so micromanaged >> that I can't stand it. This is going on everywhere. >> We're told what to do, how to do it, when to do it. It's >> like all the students and teachers are forced to be >> mindless robots; it's almost like a cult. I feel like a >> loser for doing this but the stress is so bad that I have >> temporary memory loss, vertigo, vomiting, etc. It used >> to be that younger teachers had trouble adjusting. Not >> any more. The veterans are the ones dropping like flies. > > I applaud your resolve and understand completely You are > 100&37; correct in all that you have to say. The > micromanagement culture of most US Public Schools is the > result of running schools 'like a business.' I quit after > 15 years in my 40s and haven't looked back. Miss the kids > a great deal, but that's it. Your health, your sanity, and > the rest of your life are more important. America does not > value teachers- period. > > You will survive, and then thrive. Keep ya head up! >
2. from another website: I am currently working in a social service non-profit doing case management and teaching life skills. I was actually hired for the job because the agency needed a life skills curriculum developed, so they felt like a former teacher would bring in some skills that someone trained in social services might not have. (My undergrad degree was in sociology and interpersonal communications and I do have a small background in social services prior to teaching)
In general, social services agencies that work with kids are looking for people with skills that teachers also need to have (compassion, ability to listen, firm boundaries, not afraid to confront/discipline, etc.). If you are still interested in working with kids/teens, but are just tired of the classroom setting/teaching expectations, you might want to consider looking into openings in your area.
Good luck
On 9/29/16, BooRadley wrote: > I've been considering leaving the profession too. I love the > kids and I love teaching, but it's all of the other non- > teaching related junk that just ruins it. My problem is I've > been teaching for so long I don't know what else I'd do. > What did the rest of you do after you resigned from your > position? > > > On 8/24/16, Bravo!! wrote: >> On 8/24/16, Mikey777 wrote: >>> I left NC last year for a better paying state. I just >>> resigned on the 6th day of my second year here. I have >>> been teaching about 20 years and I am mid 40s. I can't >>> do this anymore. My main reason: It is so micromanaged >>> that I can't stand it. This is going on everywhere. >>> We're told what to do, how to do it, when to do it. It's >>> like all the students and teachers are forced to be >>> mindless robots; it's almost like a cult. I feel like a >>> loser for doing this but the stress is so bad that I have >>> temporary memory loss, vertigo, vomiting, etc. It used >>> to be that younger teachers had trouble adjusting. Not >>> any more. The veterans are the ones dropping like flies. >> >> I applaud your resolve and understand completely You are >> 100&37; correct in all that you have to say. The >> micromanagement culture of most US Public Schools is the >> result of running schools 'like a business.' I quit after >> 15 years in my 40s and haven't looked back. Miss the kids >> a great deal, but that's it. Your health, your sanity, and >> the rest of your life are more important. America does not >> value teachers- period. >> >> You will survive, and then thrive. Keep ya head up! >>
Are you looking for content? format? ideas? activities? Alignment with the standards? Do you want to meet physically with someone or do you want people to post here? If you fine tune what you need, I bet some folks here would help you.What tools do you have at your fingertips now? Do you have a Smart Board? Do you have access to such things as Discovery Learning, etc....? Give us a little more detail about your current situation and that will help. Thanks.
True, but I do think it's what we need.