Friday Report – May 19, 2017

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Excerpt from:
Campbell, C. “At 3 a.m., NC Senate GOP strips education funding from Democrats’ districts.” The News & Observer. 5/13/17.

N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger is defending Republican legislators’ controversial 3 a.m. move to strip funding from several education programs in counties represented by Democrats. He argues that the change was necessary to address the state’s opioid epidemic without raising taxes.

The budget amendment was passed moments after it was introduced early Friday morning, following a two-hour Senate recess called when GOP leaders became visibly upset with Democrats for prolonging the budget debate with amendments.

The amendment added about $1 million to programs addressing opioid addiction. The extra money came from cuts to two early college high schools in rural northeastern North Carolina and a summer science, math and technology program for disadvantaged high school students. The amendment also cut a position in the governor’s office and eliminated funding for a program that provides fresh produce in food deserts.

The move made national headlines and prompted criticism from Democrats, who say the amendment was an attempt to retaliate against them.

On Tuesday, Berger issued a statement about the amendment – his first public comment on the issue. “This amendment helped address, without raising taxes, the opioid crisis that Sen. (Paul) Lowe tried to address with a large tax increase in his amendment,” Berger said in an email.

Lowe’s amendment, which was rejected, would have added about $15 million for opioid treatment programs – a proposal from Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget – by scaling back the Senate’s proposed personal income tax cut.

Under the proposal from Lowe, a Democrat from Forsyth County, the reduction in the personal income tax rate from 5.499 percent to 5.35 percent wouldn’t apply to higher income taxpayers. For example, married couples filing jointly and earning more than $1 million annually would continue to pay the 5.499 percent rate, while those earning less would pay 5.35 percent.

The Senate voted 33-15 along party lines to table Lowe’s amendment, which meant it would not get a formal vote.

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Excerpt from:

Campbell, C. “Berger defends 3 a.m. budget changes that cut education in Democrats’ districts.” The News & Observer. 5/16/17.

The House K-12 Education Committee signed off Tuesday on a proposal to put a $1.9 billion school construction bond on the ballot for voter approval in November 2018.

House Bill 866 would allocate money to each county based on a formula that includes average student population and expected growth, as well as the size of the county and its ability to raise its own funds for school construction. Larger, more prosperous counties would be required to match the bond funds, while smaller and low-wealth counties would not.

Figures from the state Department of Public Instruction for the 2015-16 school year estimate the capital need statewide at just over $8 billion, from new construction to renovations and additions to existing schools.

When the state lottery was passed in 2005, state leaders earmarked a substantial portion of the proceeds for school construction, but during the recession, state lawmakers changed the formula to supply more money for teachers and less for construction.

According to DPI, the lottery has supplied only $588 million in capital funding since 2012, and three-quarters of that money has been spent on debt service.

Rep. Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, said he supports the bond but said the changes in the lottery formula left schools empty-handed. “According to my calculations, the local school systems should have received an additional $648 million that they did not receive,” Dixon said.

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Excerpt from:

Leslie, L. “House weighs statewide school bond.” WRAL. 5/16/17.

In June, a panel of North Carolina judges will hear a case that pits Republican against Republican in a power struggle over who should steer the Department of Public Instruction.

The department oversees the day-to-day administration of North Carolina public schools, and is ultimately responsible for the education of 1.5 million students. Two parties are fighting for the helm.

Picture the Department of Public Instruction like a big ship – a really big one – with around 800 employees. At the helm, picture one guy: State Superintendent Mark Johnson. As superintendent, Johnson steers the ship, but only when and where the State Board of Education tells him to go. The board consists of 13 other people. You can picture them standing around Johnson, coming to a consensus and telling him where to turn next. They also choose Johnson’s first mate and most important crew members. That’s kind of how the department works. But now, Johnson wants to be able to pick out his own crew, and set his own course.

“I worked extremely hard for a year and half to win this election,” Johnson said in an interview. “I am the duly-elected superintendent of public instruction, and I fully expect to be able to hire the people I need to help me implement that vision.”

Johnson has sided with the General Assembly in their attempt to give him more power over the department. In December, before Johnson took office, state lawmakers tried to give sole control over staffing decisions to the superintendent, along with control over the department budget and authority over a new charter-school district, cutting out the State Board. The State Board of Education opposes the power-shift and is fighting the new law in court. Board chairman Bill Cobey says it’s important that top staffers answer to the superintendent and to board members.

“We like the fact that they’re ‘dual-reports’ because we have standing committees that these top people work with on policy matters. And we certainly are charged with approving policy,” Cobey said in an interview.

The court granted the board a temporary injunction, meaning, for now, Johnson still has to wait for board approval before he turns the wheel. And he’s not thrilled about it. “The state board of education only meets here in Raleigh 1.5 days a month, and consistently there have been some members who aren’t even here for that entire amount of time,” Johnson said. “But I’m the person who’s here every week. You know, I’m the person who, I have my office, and directors and top deputies who are in this building, they come see me when they need an answer on something.”

The friction between Johnson and the board is playing out in the General Assembly, where Senate lawmakers have tentatively stripped the state board of five staffing positions, and given the money to Johnson so he can hire his own staff without board approval.

Excerpt from:
NCDPI. “Perquimans School Leader Named Principal of the Year.” 5/12/17.

Hundreds of Governor’s School alumni are calling on state lawmakers to save the 54-year-old summer enrichment program. Last week, the NC Senate cut the $800,000 it takes to run the program from its 2018-19 budget proposal. The money would instead go toward a new program, the Legislative School for Leadership & Public Service. The cut would mean this summer’s Governor’s School would be the last.

The NC House is creating its own budget after Memorial Day. Governor’s School boosters are lobbying House members to reject the Senate’s plan and reinstate the money. They’ve created savegovernorsschool.com, which answers questions about the budget cut and helps supporters contact their legislators.

Governor’s School started in 1963 at Salem College as a six-week summer enrichment program for the state’s most gifted high school students. In 1978, the school added a program at Meredith College — hence the “East” and “West” school designations. Some 35,000 students have spent their summers on the two campuses studying music, dance, literature, social sciences, philosophy and other subjects. About 650 students attend each summer, living on campus the entire time.

Other attendees remain fiercely loyal to the school through the N.C. Governor’s School Foundation and the Governor’s School Alumni Association. In 2012, when the General Assembly eliminated the program from its budget, members of those groups raised about $700,000 and held a scaled-back version of the program. Lawmakers restored the program the next year. Students now pay $500 to attend.

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Excerpt from:

Moffett, M. “Governor’s School too important to cut, alumni say.” Greensboro News & Record. 5/15/17.

An estimated 133,000 people in North Carolina would lose access to government food assistance programs under a provision tucked into the Senate budget approved last week.

According to numbers released this week by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, 132,902 people across the state would lose food assistance if the change is in the final budget. Of those, 51,236 are age 18 or younger – and could therefore lose access to free and reduced-price school meals.

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The provision changes the state’s eligibility requirements for the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP – commonly known as food stamps. The change wouldn’t save the state any money because funding comes from the federal government, but Republican Sen. Ralph Hise of Mitchell County says the change would make the system more fair.

Under current requirements, people can qualify if they receive other government assistance benefits, such as disability payments – even if their income level is higher than the maximum income for food assistance. Known as “broad-based categorical eligibility,” the same policy is used by 38 other states.

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Excerpt from:

Campbell, C. “133,000 people would lose food stamps under NC Senate budget.” The News & Observer. 5/17/17.

The Public School Forum is now accepting applications for the 2017-18 cohort of the North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).

The Public School Forum has led the North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program since 1992, and it has continued to be the only statewide program of its kind that focuses on leadership and professional development in the context of education policy. Each new class continues the trend of high caliber participants and is rich in its members’ range of experiences, both professionally and personally. Fellows come from public schools, higher education, community colleges, state agencies, and a diverse array of education organizations across North Carolina. Each class includes a cohort of Fellows who focus on education policy issues and the wide range of factors that influence education in North Carolina. The program is designed for Fellows to learn about issues and perspectives in education that they don’t always encounter in their daily work so that they can be more informed, rounded contributors to the critical education debates that shape the quality and focus of schools. Fellows increase their awareness of how public policy is made, learn whom the key players are in the formation of this policy, and become more confident and involved in the policy-making process. Leadership development is a key focus of the Education Policy Fellowship Program.

Application information for both EPFP Central and EPFP West can be found online at https://www.ncforum.org/education-policy-fellowship-program/.

North Carolina educators have plenty of opportunities throughout the fall to attend the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), a recognized national leader in professional development programming for teachers. Applicants are encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure a spot. Programs are available to North Carolina educators at the Cullowhee and Ocracoke campuses, online and with NCCAT faculty visiting school districts. NCCAT provides food, lodging and programming. Teachers and or their districts are responsible for travel to and from the center and the cost of the substitute teacher. For more information visit www.nccat.org.

Some upcoming programs include:

14458 • ACHIEVING AGAINST THE ODDS: FOCUS ON READING

September 18–21: Cullowhee

Today’s diverse students enter school eager to become successful in classrooms originally designed for culturally homogeneous populations and are expected to learn from teachers who are often not from the same cultural, ethnic/race or social-class. Unsurprisingly, student performance in reading and other subjects is often low while student dropout and teacher burnout rates are high. This program guides participants to explore and document their experiences in motivating at-risk students to become effective readers. In addition to sharing successful strategies for improving reading skills and producing a written narrative, participants will use several technology applications to capture their stories about students who have achieved against the odds and become motivated and skilled readers who excel academically.

14467 • MAKING MATH MEANINGFUL: ENGAGING WITH MATH THROUGH MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

October 9–12: Cullowhee

Designed for grades K–6 teachers.

Wondering how to engage your students as they explore and develop math understanding and mastery? You can make math meaningful for your students. Come and refresh your understanding of Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) as you engage in activities designed to help connect the ways your students are “smart” to the NC Math Standards. Explore and develop learning strategies to support math mastery as we look at planning for and assessing math standards for your grade level. With ideas for the self-smart and the people-smart, the naturalist, musical, verbal, kinesthetic and visual learners, you’ll leave ready to start your year the MI way! This program is presented by A+ Schools of North Carolina.

14485 • READING, WRITING, AND READY BY THIRD GRADE: EARLY GRADES LITERACY INSTRUCTION

November 13–16: Ocracoke

Literacy instruction is as difficult as it is essential. This program will provide early grades teachers with a complement of research-based tools and strategies to help answer some of their more burning questions: How do I teach close reading to students who don’t yet know the alphabet? What level of writing can I attain from children who are still learning to spell? How do I simultaneously provide enrichment for advanced readers and remediation for delayed readers? How can I integrate reading and writing instruction into all other subject areas? Finally, what does this instruction look like in the classroom and how are student engagement and learning measured in this process?

14489 • GOOGLE TOOLS IN SCHOOLS

December 4–7: Ocracoke

Whether or not your school or district has adopted a Google Chromebook environment, if your LEA infrastructure allows for the use of Google Tools and/or Apps, the “Googlesphere” can be an immense help. It can aid in engaging students, keeping in touch with parents, automating feedback and assessment, sharing documents, and more. Hone your skills with the Google Chrome Browser, with Google Apps, with Android Apps, and with Chrome OS so that you can engage your students using freely available tools on almost any platform.

The second conference of the Women in Educational Leadership Symposium (WIELS) will be held at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina on September 22 through September 24, 2017. The purpose of WIELS is to bring women together to share, learn, and grow in leadership. Women who are interested in learning from others and those who are willing to share skills and expertise are urged to attend. This conference aims to provide personalized learning and mentoring opportunities for those who aspire to become or currently serve as educational leaders. The conference theme is Advancing the Leader Within: Building Capacity. Attendees are urged to submit proposals on salient issues, skills, and experiences affecting women leaders.

Conference proposals are due by May 31, 2017. Visit https://wiels.appstate.edu/about-us/call-proposals to submit a proposal.