The North Carolina legislature reached agreement on a budget that initiates vouchers in 2014 and ends teacher tenure.
The Republican leadership hailed the budget deal as a huge improvement for public education, which of course it is not. Vouchers are terrible public policy that will harm the public education system by draining dollars from it to fund religious schools. No voucher experiment in the past 20 years has shown that vouchers produce better education.
As for ending teacher tenure, it guarantees an end to academic freedom for teachers. Will any teacher dare to teach a controversial book or discuss evolution?
North Carolina was once hailed as one of the most progressive southern states. Now its governor and both houses of the legislature are members of the same party, and they are extremist in their determination to crush teachers and privatize public education. Teachers’ salaries in the state are among the lowest in the nation.
A critic said this about the budget deal:
“Lawmakers chose to drain available revenues by $524 million over the next two years through an ill-advised series of tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and profitable corporations,” wrote Alexandra Forter Sirota, director of the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, which has been critical of the Republican-led legislature. “This revenue loss isn’t just a number on a piece of paper—it means fewer teachers in more crowded classrooms, higher tuition rates and elevated debt load for families, scarcer economic development opportunities for distressed communities, and longer waiting lists for senior services.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Seems to me the more critical issue is not so much academic freedom (though that is important) but how no tenure will discourage talented individuals from going into teaching with such low salaries, large class sizes, no job security and the likelihood that when teachers have taught for several years and make more than beginning teachers they can just be let go so that a cheaper workforce can be employed.
That’s EXACTLY how it’s happening in charter schools where there is no union or tenure…. and they work you to death so that you either quit from burn out, or get fired when you just can’t do it anymore.
Hannah, your comment sounds very uninformed to me. Unless you have experienced a charter school first hand, you should refrain from comment on the charter school experience. Do you know who pays the salaries of teachers in charter schools? The state does and the salaries are on par with other public schools. In some cases they may be higher with stipends provided by fundraising. My daughter goes to a charter school where there is very low turnover, high parent involvement and the experience is nothing as you describe. We personally know some of the teachers as well as teachers in other charter schools in the area and every one has positive reviews of their experience. If you have taught in a charter school that operates as you describe, it is time for a new administration and/or board of directors.
Both chambers are voting on these items Tuesday and Wednesday. The North Carolina Association of Educators sent out an emergency briefing. We need calls made to the General Assembly. The number is 919-733-4111. This was a deal made between the General Assembly leaders and many Republicans did not about this deal. The Senate tenure bill never got a floor debate in either chamber. It has never been vetted in a House committee. These are demands made by Tills and Berger. Please begin calling at 9AM. It may be pointless, but we have to try!
While the progressive liberal democrats were in power in NC, everything was just hunky dory with the liberals. Now the Republicans are in office and trying to turn this state around and do what is best for our state, all the liberals can do is critize and find fault. They need to give these new things a chance to see if things will get better or, do they not want things better?
Turn this state around? By giving corporations tax breaks and canceling unemployment for, what is it, tens of thousands of people?
I will give you this – I do agree with some of the moves, but the move to destroy public education is sickening. There is nothing to like about it.
How logical is it to move kids from public schools to private schools where there is NO accountability process? How can we possibly know if the kids using the vouchers will actually fare better when private schools refuse to participate in the ridiculous number of standardized tests that public schools are forced to give?
Please explain, how is that “better”?
Ms. Templeton–I don’t know who you are, but I challenge you to step into a public school for a week and volunteer, then maybe you will have a better idea of what is happening in our schools with less and less. As a registered Republican for 30 years, I take offense to you comments but also take offense to what a small group of legislators are doing to our state and the future of public education in North Carolina. Don’t make comments without the facts–sadly, I think that is what is happening in Raleigh with this current legislation. I will gladly let you come help me anytime. -K. Clary-Stokes County Schools
Hmmm…the Republicans have definitely turned this state around!
Remain Calm …
and keep pretending you’ll have a profession next year …
Profession??? We don’t need no stinkin profession!
There never was “tenure”–only the same civil service protections for teachers as police and fire.
K-12 teachers don’t have “academic freedom.” That’s because K-12 education is compulsory, and teachers can’t say and do anything they want without serious consequences.
I don’t expect NC to take away those protections, though. Only female-dominated fields get the shaft.
It is a tragic day in NC for our public schools, their teachers and students. The cuts to education reflect a very aggressive attack on public education. Eliminating $110 million for teacher assistants, eliminating teacher tenure, eliminating class size limits for K-3, no raise again this year, all of these unnecessary cuts wipe out three decades of steady progress. The most damaging is allowing for our hard earned tax dollars to be transferred to private schools. The privatization of public schools threatens the very cornerstone of our democracy and violates our state constitution. This is beyond comprehension and represents the worst public policy I have ever witnessed in NC History. These cuts to public education will have a direct impact at the classroom level, impacting every single one of our 1.5 million public school children. The General Assembly has abandoned the heart and soul of what makes our schools work and has set us on a course that will end public education as a common good in NC. We hope the business community will realize today that this attack on public education is an attack on our economic viability.
Yevonne, I doubt if the business community will care! THIS IS TRAGIC! It’s scary too! I’m telling you that many veteran teachers will lose their jobs in the very near future. Brace yourselves! It’s coming!
yes, they put $5 million in budget for TFA.
The business community will care eventually.
How demoralizing for the current teachers in North Carolina! Seems to be yet another not so good trend in this country….. I wish one Party or the other would support both educators and best practices in education. Are there any Independents that would be good candidates in 2016? Or at least someone who was willing to go against their Party on an issue?
Yes. Me.
Teachers do not have true tenure but only “due process” rights like almost all government employees. Does this mean that teachers (mainly women) will be the only government employed people without due process rights? How will that hold up legally?
There are several states that have eliminated “tenure.”
What the other poster said is true-“tenure” doesn’t exist in public ed. It is only civil service due process rights. When will NC go after police and fire personnel and take away their rights to “due process”? Probably never.
Susannunes, you are right. I am so upset right now!!!
A slight quibble on losing tenure: the best teachers will still teach AS IF they had academic freedom.
Then they will be fired.
My question: What college student would EVER want to go into teaching? A profession where all you have to do is ask, “Do you want that with fries?” if FAR better!
Seriously…I recently went through the drive-thru and saw a sign advertising for help. $9 an hour, insurance benefits offered, opportunities for advancement, uniform provided, and either free food perks or a discount on food. That’s not even including the no takehome work factor, a shift that clearly begins and ends at designated times unless you choose to work overtime or for a 24/7 establishment, being able to instantly with quick turn around and successful results give the public what they want and in most cases it gladly received, doing a “routine” (although not without stress) job not having to analyze and overthink or recreate any wheels, where you don’t have the burden of paying off student loan debt for your job, and where it is with much higher frequency that you hear the words “thank you” or say “have a nice day” on a daily basis. Did I mention the constant access to sweet, salty, and caffienated menu items? Well, I definitely want a large order of fries and a hot fudge chocolate sundae right this minute! I guess I am in kind of a mood right now, saw your post and felt like responding. I am deeply saddened and disappointed in what has happened in/to NC. At one time they really were a leading example and model for education. It has served as my touchstone over the years and I often “up and go to Carolina in my mind”…now it’s dying, there’s too much to forgive, and these signs they might be omens…and it’s hard to still see the sunshine. So, yeah even if it’s the comfort food element in action, it is appealing to go down the street(on every corner in town) to purchase a happy meal where you get fries with that every time. It is a sad day, indeed. Hard lessons learned at high costs in order to continue doing what we love as a profession. Education could maybe learn a lesson from the fast food industry (instead of the corporate regime model of reform) about quality customer service. Begin with the ending in mind and always remember to say thank you.
One thing not entioned is that supplements for teachers who have earned a master’s degree will be ended. I’m 4 credits short, and will have to repay student loans and never have the chance to be compensated for my work. Screw NC.
Perhaps other states will be happy to have someone with your credentials. Many share your sentiments. Let’s wait to see the outcome of the votes. Call your legislator. 919-733-4111. Spread the word!
“Perhaps other states will be happy to have someone with your credentials.”
Not if Jeb Bush and his Chiefs for Change and ALEC have been there. In most of Florida the supplement for a Master’s degree is just a couple of hundred dollars a year; same for a PhD/EdD and these paltry supplements are being or already have been phased out. This deform has been a long time in incubation here in FL and it is now spreading like a cancer throughout the country.
Susan Ohanion wrote about this movement in the 90’s and warned about the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable taking over public education. The Friedman EdChoice Foundation boasts that they have successfully introduced “choice” laws in 23 states to date. It’s like a Who’s Who of red states and now the target is the purple and then the blue states, which is already happening in NJ, CN, and NY.
ALEC wields more influence in state legislatures than any other organization in history and they have weathered the Newtown massacre and the Trayvon Martin bad publicity by losing some top corporate contributors but losing very, very few legislative battles. They are in control.
This didn’t happen overnight. The unions and the professional organizations ignored the warnings and dismissed the critics as tin-foil hat conspiracy theorists. They chose to join with their opponents claiming the old seat at the table will give us a voice chestnut. The leaders have benefitted mightily; the rank and file? Left to rot.
And here we are.
A long game planned out carefully and executed masterfully, from A Nation at Risk, to NCLB, to endless testing, to vouchers, to school grades, to charter schools, to TFA, to ending tenure, to ending pensions (that’s the current manufactured crisis), to the total destruction of the NEA and the AFT, the long wished for goal of the business community. Once they are gone then the US of A will be all but union-free and the chance to live a comfortable middle class life will be ended for most. At will employment for low wages and no benefits is fast becoming the norm and that is exactly what they want — higher profits for rentiers and a subservient, helpless workforce.
Are you angry enough to bring about change yet?
Thank you for sharing, Chris! I appreciate it and will share.
Bobby,
Finish your degree and then go get a higher paying job in another state. One that, rightly so, recognizes teachers who have chosen to raise up the level of their practice to the benefit of their students, school and community.
After all, this is what NC is saying to educators in our state— Attention experienced teachers, those of you who have worked hard to gain advanced knowledge and better your profession, you aren’t valued in NC and we are happy to replace you with anyone who will work for a salary equivalent to that of a fast food restaurant manager. After all, we’re only talking about our future citizens. NC doesn’t need to produce scientists, physicians or engineers in order to sustain the industries we have tried so hard to attract with our big tax incentives.
Does it end ALL teacher tenure? Or just new teachers coming into the system? We read the Charlotte Observer article, and it was a little confusing.
ALL tenure is to be eventually replaced with 1 2 or 4 year contracts.
When are you folks going to learn and stop voting for Republicans, you should have seen this coming but many of you still voted for them. Now Democrats when they get back in control will have to fix all this mess and get bashed by Republicans for raising taxes but if they don’t you are all down the drain.
You are right Robert, let’s keep voting in the Democrats. They have overseen the education system for 50 years, taking it from the high water mark of the world’s education into the cesspool of being the laughing stock of the civilized world. Keep voting on party lines as this country plummets into the abyss. Brilliant!
Well said!
Robert,
Really? . . .
Both parties are largely rotten to the core, and although I have only voted Democrat, the Democrats are corrupt and it was this democratic president who is one of the main masterminds and players in this reform movement.
I will vote for neither party come next election. . . . likely.
Right now, the Democrats are very much pro-reform the way big business wants it, including the major national education unions. The GOP is the same, except that there are HUGE factions in the GOP that do not want CCSS or federal tentacles in public education. Therein lies the only major difference between the two parties when it comes to public education.
Wake up and smell the two-party rot . . . . Has its odor not become distinct enough?
After 40 years as an educator in NC I am glad to be reitiring this year. As I hear what is happening it makes me almost decide to go ahead and retire right now instead of waiting until next June.What worries me most is my grandson who is due in November. What will the schools be like in 5 years? Maybe I should encourage my son to leave the state and go somewhere else to live. What a joke.
Thank you for your service. If you had been in anther state, you probably wouldn’t have had to work for 40+ years in order to earn your retirement.
*another*
Why not…every other profession does. 25 years old when I got out of college plus 40 years of work = 65….perfect.
Thank God that I retired from teaching in NC 5 years ago. Education in NC is going down the tubes.
Edukasion in amerika are a desaster. Ensteed of komplaning about voulchers, tail us how to fix the sistem that ain’t wurkin and is turnin out uneducated masses.
Skeeter, you show what a disaster your own education was by posting such ill-informed, illiterate and hostile comments. Did you do your homework? Did you pay attention in class? Did your parents allow you to be a slacker? Blame yourself, not your teachers.
Dianeav….I am truly discouraged by the lack of ability of students with public education backgrounds …Did you matriculate from a NC public school and still aren’t able to discern when somebody is yanking your chain?….Skeeter (yep, now THAT’S a real name) is obvously a nom de plume (obvious to everyone but you), yet you attacked the poor schlub for ill-formed, illiterate comments….Did you write such comments on the papers you graded? Did you ever grade papers or have an after-hours student conference? I suspect not because it is counter-productive to use the word “you” in a negative sense when critiquing a student’s work — attack the action and not the person….That said I am amazed that anyone or group would defend NC public education’s downward spiral under mostly Democrat leadership in Raleigh and the NCAE…..I know very well how teachers these days are either (a) putting in time to reach 20 years or (b) taking adminstration courses so they can apply for jobs at Central Office or higher …. I suspect voucher schools will be more student focused; they can’t be any worse than they are now. I think 1, 2 and 4 year renewable contracts are an excellent idea to trim dead wood out of classrooms and plant new growth …. teachers should be forewarned — be part of the solution or be part of the problem.
I have been teaching in NC for 13 years now. To be honest, having to sign a new contract each year or not getting a raise yet again doesn’t concern me as much as having 25+ 7 year olds with no assistant. I’ve had to share an assistant with 3 other teachers for the past few years, and that is better than having no one. The idea that teachers can meet the individual needs of all children with less time and resources is insane. During a classroom emergency (sick or violent behaving student) how am I supposed to take care of the student needing help plus keep teaching the others? I’d like to see how some of these politicians would function without their secretaries and personal assistants. Instead of trying to help public schools, they are setting us up for failure. It’s like giving a carpenter a hammer, a handsaw, a couple of boards, and a box of nails then calling him incompetent when the house isn’t built in 3 weeks.
Reblogged this on Intelligent America and commented:
Sometimes, things like this just pass you buy…..
If your child attends a good charter school, good for you. What about the rest of the children that inhabit our state? We need an educated society. Public schools are not being properly funded. There may be a top down problem here. The money is trickling down to the teachers in the trenches. Teachers are being blamed for the lack of learning in public schools. How can teachers solve the many problems we face in today’s society? We have children who are homeless, one parent families, children with mental and physical handicaps, children from fractured homes, parents who are disengaged and struggling to survive. the current education system does not care about people. For goodness sake, the Governor is already campaigning for reelection. There’s a song that should be played in the Governor’s mansion and in the legislature. It’s that old song by Pink Floyd. The main lyric says..we don’t need no education.