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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Departing NC Teacher of the Year challenges State Board, legislators to do more for public schools
North Carolina State Board of Education honored its departing NC Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year at its June 5th meeting. (NCDPI Screengrab) When Kimberly Jones was selected as the 2023-24 North Carolina Teacher of the Year she earned a two-year appointment to the State Board of Education. This week, as the veteran Chapel Hill English teacher attended her final meeting in that leadership capacity, she challenged both the board and state legislators to invest more in public schools. Jones urged the State Board of Education on Thursday to stay grounded in the constitutional mandate to provide every North Carolina child with a sound basic education. 'Be wary of oversimplified solutions to complex challenges,' Jones advised. 'Invest not only in outcomes, but in the conditions that produce them — teacher retention, culturally relevant pedagogy, instructional materials that reflect diverse experiences and perspectives and learning environments that allow our students to feel safe, both physically and emotionally.' During her time on the board, the Trump administration's U.S. Department of Education has sought to block diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs nationwide. Jones cautioned her colleagues to never confuse neutrality with justice. 'Please make equity, access, or whatever synonym meets the current criteria to guide your compass, even when that path is hard to navigate. The very future of our democracy and our society depends on how courageously you continue to steward this responsibility,' Jones said. As Newsline has previously reported, this legislative session state Republican lawmakers have advanced multiple proposals to eliminate DEI from all corners of the public sector — government, higher education and K-12 education. At the same time, the North Carolina House has passed legislation that would promote 'wholesome' content for students, but that critics have derided as an invitation to censorship. The bill would require the State Board of Education to maintain a database of all banned media across the state with annual updates. Jones reminded the board that reading and inquiry are not a nuisance, but rather an engine of learning. 'In my classroom, we use complex questions to feel reading, research, and rigorous dialogue to build empathy and to strengthen civic understanding,' she said. 'I believe students of every background and every region of our state deserve access to such curricula. Ones that affirm their identity, reflect their communities, inspire their best efforts, and invite them into meaningful conversations about the world they are inheriting and shaping.' Jones, a high school English and AP African American studies and Holocaust educator, said students should be encouraged to explore not just what was said or written, but why it mattered. For legislators who will be working on a compromise budget in the weeks ahead, Jones urged improved funding for schools and better respect for educators. 'Public education cannot be reimagined if it is consistently underfunded, undermined, or politicized,' she said. 'If we are to recruit and retain a diverse, highly qualified, and effective workforce, then we must offer more than praise. We must offer respect, autonomy, and trust.' Jones said her classroom colleagues simply deserve more. 'We need competitive teacher pay that honors both experience and expertise. We need sustainable investments in student mental health because no curriculum is effective in a crisis. We need clean modern school buildings, not just in select counties but in every community.' The House budget proposes to increase new teacher pay from $41,000 a year to $48,000 for the next school year but offers little to more experienced teachers. The Senate budget offers average raises of 2.3% in FY 25-26 with a $3,000 bonus spread out over two years. The two sides are reportedly far apart from reaching a consensus. Beyond the classroom, Jones said lawmakers should acknowledge those behind the scenes — cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and those willing to pitch in to maintain the grounds and buildings when the needs surpass the resources. For parents and community advocates, Jones encouraged them to visit a classroom, become a mentor, vote in their local school board elections, and ask their local school district leaders what they're doing to serve the most marginalized students. Jones said it's important to understand that not every student learns the same way, and not every parent's experience with their school is universal. 'In public schools, there are no applications for admission. There are no filters to whom we serve. We don't select who enters our classrooms, but every day we get the unparalleled opportunity to shape and influence what kind of person leaves our classrooms.' Jones said that during challenging times she reflects on a proverb which holds that children are born with their hands closed because that's where their gifts and talents lie. 'As they grow, their hands begin to open so they can share those talents with the world. At its most essential level, education is not about what we put into young people. It's about what we pull out of them,' she said.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State Board of Education warns Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to fix budget or face sanctions
FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The North Carolina State Board of Education warned Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools that legal and fiscal obligations must be met as school leaders continue to deal with a budget shortfall in a letter sent on Thursday. 'We have recently read press reports related to the overspent budget and overall negative financial health of your school district. In addition, we have received correspondence from concerned citizens in your community about your looming budget shortfall for the fiscal year 2024-25 in the amount of approximately $16,000,000,' the letter reads. 'Buck stops with me': Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools superintendent discusses budget deficit During the April 8 board meeting, WS/FCS's chief financial officer, Tony Kranz, announced his resignation. His last day with the district will be June 30. During the April 22 board meeting, WS/FCS Superintendent Tricia McManus announced her resignation. Her last day with the district will also be June 30. According to the letter, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction reviewed the district's financial statement audit for the year ending June 30, 2024. The audit was reportedly submitted more than four months after the Nov. 30, 2024, deadline. 'The audit reflects material findings related to a reduction in fund balance, expenditure over budgeted revenues, and other items,' the letter reads. The 2024 audit reportedly showed: A decline in the unassigned fund balance of $17.7 million, leaving a balance of $5.39 million, which equates to only 0.7% of total expenditures A decline in student membership of about 1% from fiscal year 2023, but an increase in the total general fund expenditures of $48.8 million or 7% Over $16.2 million in expenditures that were not included in the budget, including: $9.6 million more spent from the general fund than had been appropriated, $1.6 million more spent from federal funds than had been appropriated and $5 million more spent from the Child Nutrition Fund than had been appropriated NCDPI also reviewed the state and federal allotments given to WS/FCS for the current fiscal year that ends June 30, 2025. The following items were noted in the letter from the district's year-to-date financial data as of the end of March 2025: Expenditures exceed the allotments in state non-instructional support by $10.3 million. The NCDPI is not authorized to provide funding for these expenditures. Expenditures exceed the federal ESSER III grant by $3.7 million. The district is projected to exceed the state-funded position allotments unless the district transfers the positions to another funding source until the end of the year. The State Board of Education is required by law to ensure that local boards of education comply with state laws and regulations regarding budgeting, management and the spending of funds. According to the letter, the State Board of Education is directing WS/FCS to provide a detailed explanation of actions taken to mitigate the budget shortfall. WS/FCS must provide a summary of what they have done to employ or contract officials who can help them take action to correct the fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026 budgets. The information must be submitted to the State Board of Education no later than May 15. 'This communication serves as a warning that you must meet your legal and fiscal oversight obligations to avoid financial sanctions and additional oversight of the district by the State Board of Education and DPI,' the letter states. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools budget shortfall draws questions with few answers WS/FCS announced in March that they were experiencing a multi-million-dollar budget shortfall for the coming school year. McManus sat down with FOX8 in March to discuss the financial situation. At the time, McManus said the district faced dissolving vacant positions, demoting people or offering to reassign them, affecting over 100 jobs. The district was actively seeking someone to fill a director of finance role at the time of that interview. However, according to McManus, if positions are eliminated at the school level, that is not because of the budget. It's because of the state algorithm involving enrollment, which determines how many positions are funded. The superintendent said that finances will be reviewed every two weeks by both the superintendent and the school board. 'The buck stops with me, and I take everything personally. I absorb everything, and I take it on my shoulders because I do believe … if something goes wrong anywhere, it is my responsibility,' McManus told FOX8. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has $5 million budget deficit, could cut jobs, superintendent says Parents, educators and staff members at the district are bracing for the impact while many are left wondering how this could happen. McManus pointed to inflation, declining enrollment and other revenue challenges as reasons for the overspending. School districts across the country were given a portion of ESSER funds, which were three rounds of emergency funds relating to the pandemic. The funds were always going to be temporary, but many school districts used them to pay for programs and salaries with no plan for how they would continue funding them when the well dried up. 'I think what it showed is that the federal funding we received that has gone away was really imperative to support our students post-pandemic, and we're still supporting our students post-pandemic,' McManus said in March. She cited the end of ESSER funding as one of the reasons the district has a $5 million budget deficit, which was revealed after an audit. She also pointed to reduced federal and state funding. 'The funding we're getting from the state has decreased, but if you look at the needs of our students, that has not decreased. That has increased. Even though enrollment has decreased, some of the needs are greater,' she said. North Carolina is historically at the bottom of the list in terms of funding per student, and only 8% of the district's entire budget was funded by the state in the fiscal year 2023. With no more money coming in from the federal or state level, the district has to make immediate cuts before June 30. It will no longer allow take-home cars, cut travel, hold off on hiring new people in the central office and more. The next fiscal year, which starts July 1, is more ambitious: save $16 million. The proposal would change 116 positions. Some are vacant, so they would just be dissolved. Some people would get demoted, some would be reassigned and others would lose a month of employment, saving $7.2 million. 'This will never be something easy or that I would want to do, but it's something … to have that fiscal sustainability for our school district,' McManus said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC teacher turnover down compared to last year, but still higher than recent years, new report shows
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — New numbers from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provide insight into teacher turnover in the state. It shows almost 1 in 10 teachers left their job between March 2023 and March 2024. NCDPI presented its State of the Teaching Profession report, which looks at attrition rates, at Wednesday's State Board of Education meeting. The report shows a teacher turnover rate of 9.9% for 2023-24, for a total of 8,886 teachers leaving. That's an improved compared to the year before where more than 10,300 teachers left, for a turnover rate of 11.5%. While the turnover rate is down year of year, the 2023-24 rate is still higher than each of the five years before that. Those turnover rates ranged from 7.5% – 8.2%. Erin Thomas Horne is the Assistant Dean for Professional Education and Accreditation at NC State University's College of Education. She said it's especially crucial to support young teachers. NC DPI data shows they leave at a higher rate. With an attrition rate between 11.7% and 17.5% for teachers with 0-5 years of experience. 'We have four years with our students, but the role of teaching is so complex, and so it's important that they have kind of that real time support to understand the nuances and the complexities of their particular school and the class that they're working with that year,' Thomas Horne said. She points to programs like the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program. NC State is one of the universities that partners with local school districts to provide instructional coaches to teachers in their first three years on the job. The college has several programs to help more people enter the career. 'Our most successful programs are when we provide financial support for students to earn their teaching credential,' Thomas Horne said. She said other successful programs at NC State involve getting high school students interested in teaching, like the Leadership Institute for Future Teachers (LIFT), which is a 6-day long program for rising high school seniors eyeing a career in teaching. In their presentation Wednesday, NC DPI leaders said the state is hiring more teachers than the number that left. The highest attrition rate was for teachers with more than 28 years of experience. 'While the report shows improvement in the percentage of teachers staying compared to prior years, there are still far too many teachers leaving the profession,' said North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice Green. 'We need to do a much better job of keeping them in the classroom once they are hired. That starts with revering these professionals for the amazing job they do and providing them with great salaries and opportunities for growth within our public schools.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
