Friday Report – November 9, 2018

The Friday Report

November 9, 2018

Suburban Boundary Changes Would Bring Upheaval. CMS Board Says It Won’t Do That.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox said he is not recommending any changes to the student assignment plan that was revamped in 2017. Photo Credit: The Charlotte Observer file photo.

Aligning Charlotte-Mecklenburg school boundaries with town limits would require moving thousands of students who now cross municipal lines, according to a report presented to the school board Wednesday.

Board Chair Mary McCray and Superintendent Clayton Wilcox opened the meeting by trying to defuse concerns that they’ll actually do that.

“There are no votes tonight, next week, next month or next year,” said McCray, one of seven board members who voted to instruct Wilcox to report on possible changes.

Wilcox said he is not recommending any changes to the student assignment plan that was revamped in 2017. His task was to deliver the report that was requested as part of the back-and-forth between the school board and four suburban towns — Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville and Cornelius — that recently got authority to create their own charter schools.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Doss Helms, A. “Suburban boundary changes would bring upheaval. CMS board says it won’t do that.” The Charlotte Observer. 11/7/18.

Wayne County Schools Pushes Back Against Attempted ISD Takeover

Patrice Faison meets with staff at Carver Heights Elementary. Photo Credit: Wayne County Schools.

In a letter sent to Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and other members of the State Board of Education, Michael Dunsmore, superintendent of Wayne County Schools, and the Wayne County Board of Education expressed their “concern” about the targeting of Carver Heights Elementary by the Innovative School District (ISD).

Carver Heights has been chosen by ISD leaders to become the second school in the ISD, with an open date of next fall. The State Board of Education was set to vote on that choice this month but chose instead to delay the vote until December.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Granados, A. “Wayne County Schools pushes back against attempted ISD takeover.” EducationNC. 11/6/18.

Final Round of Onslow County Schools Reopen

State Superintendent Mark Johnson, right, leans down to have a Dixon Elementary student a high five as she arrives at school Monday for the first day since Hurricane Florence. Photo Credit: Jannette Pippin, The Daily News.

State Superintendent Mark Johnson joined in a celebration as he gave high-fives and cheered along with staff as Dixon Elementary School students returned to their school for the first day since Hurricane Florence.

Johnson said the hurricane was “historic and unprecedented” and the damage it left behind can’t be forgotten, but Monday was a positive milestone as storm recovery efforts continue in North Carolina.

Dixon Elementary School was among the final six Onslow County public schools to welcome back students, along with White Oak High School, Northwoods Park Middle, Southwest High, Swansboro Elementary, Swansboro High and Thompson Early Childhood Center. They were also the final round of storm-damaged schools to reopen throughout North Carolina.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Pippin, J. “Final round of Onslow County schools reopen.” Jacksonville Daily News. 11/5/18.

All-Female School Board to Represent Winston-Salem and Forsyth County

Candidates for the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School Board, from left, Dana Caudill Jones, Leah Crowley and Lori Goins Clark on Tuesday in Kernersville. Photo Credit: Andrew Dye, Winston-Salem Journal.

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education will be made up entirely of women for the first time in its history.

That is based on Tuesday’s election results, when four incumbents held onto their seats and Democrats took a slight majority.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Bragg, M. “All-female school board to represent Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.” Winston-Salem Journal. 11/7/18.

National News

EDlection2018: 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes Elected to U.S. Congress in CT, Promising to Back Teachers and Increase School Funding

Jahana Hayes. Photo Credit: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images.

Democrat and 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes made history Tuesday night, becoming the first black woman elected to Congress in Connecticut.

New York Times projections show Hayes beat Republican challenger Manny Santos 56-44 — with 81 percent of precincts reporting — to represent the 5th Congressional District, which is Democratic and mostly white. The outcome mirrors poll predictions that gave Hayes a comfy lead.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Swaak, T. “EDlection2018: 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes Elected to U.S. Congress in CT, Promising to Back Teachers and Increase School Funding.” The 74 Million. 11/7/18.

Voters in 5 States Approve Ballot Measures Boosting School Funding

Many of those likely voters who said they would support increases in state spending on public schools kept their word at the polls last night — but not in Colorado, where teachers walked out last school year in protest over funding levels for education.

Even though many Colorado schools closed for two days in April while teachers rallied at the state capitol in Denver, those demonstrations weren’t enough to convince voters to pass Initiative 73 — Great Schools, Thriving Communities — which would have generated $1.6 billion for a Quality Public Education Fund.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Jacobson, L. “Voters in 5 states approve ballot measures boosting school funding.” Education Dive. 11/7/18.

Opportunities

Public School Forum Seeking a Policy Analyst

The Public School Forum of North Carolina is seeking a Policy Analyst. This individual will contribute to policy analysis and research efforts on a number of key educational issues in North Carolina. This position would be an excellent early career opportunity for an individual interested in education policy. Reports to the Senior Director of Policy.

Primary Job Responsibilities:

• Monitor, document, and provide analysis of current education policy issues in North Carolina, with a focus on school finance, teacher pipeline, and education data systems.
• Conduct and interpret quantitative and qualitative research on K-12 education policy topics.
• Attend state legislative convenings and committee meetings.
• Contribute to the Forum’s communications efforts including op-eds and guest columns, newsletter articles and social media efforts addressing current policy issues and initiatives impacting education in North Carolina.

To learn more about this position and how to apply, click here.

NC Teaching Fellows Applications Are Now Open

NC Teaching Fellows applications are now open. All applications must be submitted online by 11:59 PM (EST) on Monday, January 7, 2019.

• Receive up to $4,125 per semester for up to eight semesters.
• Study at a premier educator preparation program in North Carolina.
• Benefit from meaningful program activities to enrich your studies.
• Teach in a Special Education or STEM field in a North Carolina public school.

To learn more visit: https://myapps.northcarolina.edu/ncteachingfellows/ . 

FAST NC Fundraising Drive to Aid Public Schools

A historic storm has devastated parts of North Carolina. In response, a historic, bipartisan coalition of current and former state education leaders presented their effort to aid schools to the State Board of Education, promoting Florence Aid to Students and Teachers (FAST NC) as a drive to help North Carolina’s public schools as students and educators struggle to return to normal.

Hurricane Florence caused at least 1.2 million, or about 80 percent, of North Carolina’s public school students to miss some school. Many school buildings are damaged, and several school districts are still closed due to displacement, flooding and storm-related disruptions. Now, FAST NC has brought together an illustrious steering committee for the effort to help schools recover.

To learn more about FAST NC and how to donate, click here.

Biogen Foundation Spark Video Contest

The Biogen Foundation is inviting middle and high school students in Massachusetts and North Carolina to create videos on the topic of biotechnology in your life. These videos must be between thirty seconds and three minutes, accurate, and creative. We are accepting videos from September 14 through December 17. Work with a teacher at your school to submit your video (up to two submissions per school), because the first 200 schools to submit an eligible video will win $500! See spark.biogenfoundation.com for more information about the contest and to submit your video today!

Submissions are open until December 17th.  ALL NC schools are eligible to enter. Teachers MUST be the ones to submit the videos; students and parents are not allowed to submit videos.

Questions? Contact the Biogen Foundation here.

Upcoming Professional Development at NCCAT 

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 a complete list of upcoming NCCAT programs, click here.

For more information on how to apply for NCCAT programs, click here.

Synergy Conference 2019

The Friday Report is published weekly by the Public School Forum of NC and is distributed to Forum members, policymakers, donors, media, and Forum subscribers. Archived editions can be found at www.ncforum.org.

©2018 Public School Forum of North Carolina. All Rights Reserved.

Public School Forum of North Carolina

919-781-6833

Follow us at @theNCForum

ncforum.local

Donate to the Forum!