Speaker Moore's boasting about education doesn't add up
Published November 23, 2017
Editorial by Capitol Broadcasting Co., November 17, 2017.
In House Speaker Tim Moore’s recent overly rosy assessment of North Carolina public education, we can’t help but ponder if some key words could have been dropped in the editing.
He starts: “The North Carolina General Assembly is implementing meaningful public school reforms that are (missing words: not very) popular with parents and students because they (missing words: failed to) focus on families’ shared priority of improving student achievement.”
Of greater concern is the failure of Moore and his fellow leaders in the legislature to admit that in the last six years, North Carolina public education has in fact lost ground.
Moore’s rhetoric is aspirational. Facts are not.
Let’s start with four contentions in the second sentence of his column:
- “Four consecutive teacher pay raises.” FACT: Teacher pay has increased for those with the least experience while it has stagnated or been cut for those with more experience. Additionally, pay cuts for longevity and advanced degrees coupled with increased costs of benefits drive out the best and most experienced in our classrooms. North Carolina average teacher pay remains $9,000 behind the national average.
- “Improved approach to state education funding.” FACT: Education funding in North Carolina is in an unresolved crisis of the legislature’s making. An unfunded demand to cut class size continues to leave local school systems in budget-planning chaos that threatens art, music, language arts and physical-ed instruction in our schools.
- “Successful ‘Read to Achieve’ literacy program.” FACT: Surveys of North Carolina teachers indicate barely a quarter say the program has had a positive impact and 40 percent say it’s been negative.
- “Expanded school choice for low-income families.” FACT: The lack of demonstrable educational achievement, accountability and transparency in the “opportunity scholarship” private school voucher program is an irresistible invitation to fraud, waste, abuse and corruption. There are already signals of that a plenty. Look at what’s happening at the Fayetteville private school that is the single-greatest recipient of voucher funds. Its basketball coach pleaded guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of state tax withholding dollars.
Now, that’s just Speaker Moore’s second sentence.
Moore shouldn’t claim advances in education when, in too many cases, the reality is that it’s been two steps backward followed by a single step forward. That means we’re still behind.
That’s the case with the state’s very successful Teaching Fellows program. After abolishing the program on a partisan whim in 2011, the program’s received a half-hearted revival this year. Funding will allow for up to 160 fellows a year, compared to the 500 per year in the original program.
Budgets for classroom instructional supplies and textbooks are $100 million less today than in the 2008-09 school year of the Great Recession. These days, donation drives are required to provide teachers with school supplies. On top of that, the latest tax reform plans before Congress are looking to end the tax deductions teachers have been able to take for spending on classroom supplies out of their own pockets.
North Carolina schools today have more students than ever, but fewer assistant principals, nurses, social workers and guidance counselors. Money for teacher assistants has been sliced $62 million. There are 3,150 fewer teachers in our schools today than there would be if formulas in place during the 2011-12 school year were still followed.
North Carolina is on target this year to drop from 42nd – not much of a position to start with – to 43rd nationally in per-pupil spending. That’s more than $3,000 per student below the national average.
The reality is that Moore and his ideological soulmates in the General Assembly are more intent on cutting taxes for big corporations and the wealthy than providing the needed funding for properly paid teachers and quality public schools.
When it comes to doing more for education in North Carolina, Moore’s boasting is no more than school-yard trash talk. All platitudes, with little to back it up.
http://www.wral.com/editorial-speaker-moore-s-boasting-about-education-doesn-t-add-up/17120294/
November 23, 2017 at 4:29 pm
Norm Kelly says:
Since we know that WRAL is working in concert with alt left-wing groups, can we consider this piece just another hit piece?
So, let's go through this just a bit.
'pay cuts for longevity and advanced degrees' As opposed to the last time demoncrats controlled school spending and ACTUALLY CUT teacher pay? Seems like cutting ALL teacher pay is not as bad as cutting some teacher pay. How about instead of longevity and degrees being the determining factor we start considering things like ability to teach kids-have kids LEARN. Isn't there a reliable way to check for this? Wouldn't it be better if teachers were FINALLY treated like regular employees? How about finding a way to pay excellent teachers more and mediocre teachers less so. Doesn't merit get any consideration in a socialist system? Oh, wait. Dumb question. Sorry. Forgot what I was typing about.
'coupled with increased costs of benefits' Unlike regular employees. Cuz we all know that benefit costs have gone down for EVERY EMPLOYEE THAT IS NOT A TEACHER! Remember when Obummercare was implemented? The rest of us do, cuz we KNOW for a FACT that premiums have gone down, deductibles have gone down, prescription coverage has improved, all meaning a benefit cost cut! Across the board cut in cost of benefits for everyone NOT a teacher! Oh, wait. There I go again; forgetting what I'm typing about. When costs go up for regular people, how could it be possible to keep the cost of benefits for government employees the same or cut the cost of these benefits? When demoncrats implemented what THEY TOLD US was round one in implementing socialized medicine, who really expected costs to go down while benefits went up? Only media allies and apparently teachers!
'North Carolina average teacher pay remains $9,000 behind the national average' The most bogus, meaningless, useless tactic ever used by demoncrats and their allies in media. And it's becoming obvious that WRAL is simply one more ally of the demon party. No need to be truthful, tell the WHOLE story, or be fair about what is causing costs to increase. Cuz every time one of the parties attempts to get gov't OUT of the business of business, out of increasing the cost of business, it's demoncrats and their media allies such as WRAL that whine the most. And put out hit piece after hit piece. Average teacher pay is meaningless and demons know it. But it makes them & their voters FEEL good about having something to whine about. What's the average cost of living in California or New York? How about the average in Illinois? Now, when you compare the average cost of living in those demon-run areas, how does teacher pay stack up? If the cost of living in California is 21% higher than in NC, then aren't our teachers ahead of the game? Yes, which is why demons and media allies NEVER tell you this! Facts ALWAYS destroy lib schemes, whines. Which is why you so rarely see ANY facts produced by libs or media allies.
'FACT: The lack of demonstrable educational achievement, accountability and transparency in the' public school system is EXACTLY the way libs/demons/socialist want it to be. And the more kids they can trap in this system, the happier this group is. When alt-left zealots come into your kids elementary school and spew their garbage about gay marriage, do you get notified ahead of time and be allowed to keep your kid out of the assembly? When Communist Core math teaches your kid 14 steps to get to the solution of 14+4, do you get to teach your kids the RIGHT way of getting to the answer? When Communist Core math actually makes learning math more difficult, more tedious, less likely that you can help your kid with homework or understanding, do you get a say in the matter? How a out accountability in the public school system? When a new Superintendent is hired and given a platinum contract, do you get a say? Like when the Superintendent is fired (for no cause, as in Wake County), do you get a say in the millions they are paid cuz the contract was broken? Is that 'worse' than the embezzling case mentioned in this editorial? How about when the bus company employee is caught embezzling funds and the response from the school system is that the $100,000 or so won't impact the system cuz they have enough money to cover it? So, does the same standard get applied to both gov't monopoly schools as this editorial writer wants to force on private schools? It appears not. Once again, strict, stringent standards & regulation of private business, loose, virtually non-existent, rarely implemented regulation on gov't monopoly. Remember when Pat M was blamed for the coal ash spill that was created while demons ruled Raleigh? No blame for demons, but all blame placed at the feet of Pat? Why? Cuz he's Republican, and the attackers were ALL demons and/or demon allies (like WRAL!).
I could go on. But I have a life & family to enjoy. Nothing is going to change. Libs will continue to lie, obfuscate, demonize. And WHINE. Cuz Whining is one of their best abilities. Without whining, the only thing demons would have in their play book is . . . lies . . . schemes. All admirable stuff, for sure!
November 23, 2017 at 7:09 pm
Michael Harper says:
Thank you for penning this response to Mr. Moore's exaggerations and fabrications, but the sad fact is your words don't matter. Have you heard any outcries from Mr. and Mrs. North Carolina? Have you posted any major parent organizations that will marshall efforts to "throw the bums out" if matters don't radically change? Have you heard ANYONE other than the press taking these men and woman to task for not only damaging the present educational state of things but the foreseeable future as well?
I always ask this simple question: When being a teacher in this state has such a miserable image, who will take the place of your veterans?
The FACT is, far too few people care about teachers OR public education to do anything about these outrages and the proof is in their lack of responsiveness. North Carolinians will truly get what they deserve.
