June 2014

North Carolina PTA leaders joined Governor McCrory, Speaker Tillis, school administrators, and teachers at the Governor’s Mansion on June 25 for an announcement to raise teacher compensation, not cut additional teacher assistants and provide funding for textbooks. Below are links to media coverage from today’s announcement. News and Observer:  http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/06/25/3964062/mccrory-tillis-move-education.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1 WRAL:  http://www.wral.com/house-mccrory-team-up-on-new-budget-bid/13764786/

On June 24 the NC House of Representatives passed its version of Senate Bill 812 Replace Common Core State Standards.  While both the original Senate bill and House bill create a new commission to study academic standards, the Senate bill would allow the State to consider Common Core standards, while the House bill would prohibit consideration of the Common Core Standards.  The House and Senate members will now have to work out their differences in a conference committee before they adjourn the short session.    

If you are interested in learning more about the proposed K-12 budgets proposed by the Governor, House of Representatives and Senate, you will find the following chart helpful.  This budget comparison chart shows differences between the three proposed budgets.

The following WRAL article gives highlights of differences in the House, Senate, and Governor’s budgets:  http://www.wral.com/house-senate-and-governor-s-spending-plans-differ-on-key-points/13713798/

NCPTA and PTA members across North Carolina have actively advocated this session for increased teacher compensation, funding for teacher assistants, changes to Read to Achieve, funding for driver education, and funding for school nurses.  The House of Representatives heard your voices and these advocacy items have been included in the budget adopted today by the House of Representatives.  The House budget: 1.  Includes an average 5% raise for teachers; 2.  Does not include additional cuts to teacher assistants; 3.  Includes Read to Achieve amendments encouraged and supported by NCPTA.  These amendments decrease the number of required student reading portfolio examples

The House Appropriations Committee considered proposed amendments to the House budget on June 11.  Two key successful amendments were:  1.  addition of $11 million to textbook funds and 2. $3 million to continue the Teaching Fellows program that had been phased out in the initial House and Senate budget.