Connect with us

North Carolina

NC teachers navigate uncertainty around budget, new laws’ impact on staff, students

Published

1 year ago

on

NC teachers navigate uncertainty around budget, new laws’ impact on staff, students


NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) — There’s new uncertainty for teachers in North Carolina after the Governor’s veto of SB 49 — the Parents’ Bill of Rights — was overridden, and as the state’s budget continues to stall.

SB 49 prohibits any curriculum on gender identity and sexuality through fourth grade and requires teachers to tell parents if their child changes their pronouns.

“The more you require them to do reporting, the less they’re going to be teaching,” said Dyson Hepting, a former teacher with Wake County Public Schools.

Hepting says in his time as an educator, he found communication with parents was crucial, but has concerns this legislation might further deplete an already-strained workforce.

Advertisement

“I don’t think that teachers want to keep things from parents or vice versa,” Hepting said. “I think we all want better communication but some of the legislation, I don’t think they’re thinking through the logistics of how that’s really going to work in the classroom.”

Some parents, however, are calling the override a victory. Brooke Medina works at the conservative Locke Foundation in Raleigh and is the mother of four. She says SB 49 is about keeping parents in the loop.

“I think this bill is really about accountability and transparency and an invitation for parents to be involved at the table,” Medina said.

RELATED | NC Legislature overrides 6 governor vetoes, putting measures into law

She added that one of the reasons she chose private schools for her kids was because they allowed her to be more involved in their education.

Advertisement

“When something is clearly spelled out like it is in the Parents Bill of Rights, that gives me comfort that I am going to be invited to the table to discuss these things,” Medina said.

In response to the veto override, Governor Cooper criticized the General Assembly, which has yet to pass a final budget that would include promised raises for teachers.

“These are the wrong priorities, especially when they should be working nights and weekends if necessary to get a budget passed by the end of the month,” the Governor said in part, in a statement.

Longtime Wake County teacher Rodney Obaigbena says the holdup isn’t doing the profession any favors.

“People are already not entering the field. And when you look at this is just another barrier to entry,” he said.

Advertisement

Obaigbena, who’s worked in WCPSS for nearly 10 years, says he wants to see prioritized more but isn’t overly optimistic.

“I learned a long time ago that, you know, politicians don’t have feelings. They have interests and at the end of the day, what’s in an interest is what they’re going to focus on,” he said.



Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

North Carolina

Aidoo scores 17 and well-balanced Arkansas routs North Carolina A&T

Published

6 hours ago

on

December 22, 2024

By

Aidoo scores 17 and well-balanced Arkansas routs North Carolina A&T


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Jonas Aidoo had a double-double, and his 17 points led seven in double figures as Arkansas rolled past North Carolina A&T 95-67 on Saturday for the Razorbacks’ fifth straight win.

Aidoo made 7 of 13 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds. Boogie Fland also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. Adou Thiero scored 14 points, Karter Knox 11 and D.J. Wagner 10 as all five starters reached double figures. Off the bench, Trevon Brazile had 11 points and Billy Richmond III scored 10. Brazile had nine rebounds.

Aidoo scored the first five points of the game and Arkansas (10-2) led 12-3 in the early going. Later in the half, Richmond scored seven consecutive Arkansas points and the Razorbacks were out front 28-17. They went on to lead 54-31 at the break.

An 8-0 run midway through the second half put Arkansas ahead by 36 points and the lead peaked at 37 when Aidoo scored in the paint with about 9 minutes remaining.

Advertisement

Ryan Forrest led the Aggies (3-10) with 19 points and eight rebounds. Landon Glasper added 16 points.

It was the Razorbacks’ second game on their home floor this month. Next, they will host Oakland on Dec. 30.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.

Copyright 2024 KY3. All rights reserved.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

North Carolina

Arkansas overwhelms North Carolina A&T in Fayetteville | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

14 hours ago

on

December 21, 2024

By

Arkansas overwhelms North Carolina A&T in Fayetteville | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


FAYETTEVILLE — Playing its first game in a week, the Arkansas basketball team showed no rust Saturday. 

The Razorbacks opened with a 12-3 run and were never threatened during a 95-67 victory over North Carolina A&T at Bud Walton Arena. 

Arkansas (10-2) won its fifth consecutive game and played for the final time before a break for Christmas. The Razorbacks are not scheduled to play again until a Dec. 30 home game against Oakland. 

Jonas Aidoo had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocked shots before the first media timeout to spark the early run. Aidoo finished with season highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes. 

Advertisement

Aidoo was one of seven Razorbacks who scored in double figures. Adou Thiero scored 14 points, Boogie Fland scored 12 to go with 11 assists, Trevon Brazile and Karter Knox scored 11 apiece, and D.J. Wagner and Billy Richmond had 10. 

Zvonimir Ivisic (8 points) was the only Arkansas rotation player to score less than 10. The Razorbacks played the game without guard Nelly Davis, who sat out with soreness in his shooting wrist. Davis is averaging 9.9 points per game. 

Arkansas shot 50% (37 of 74) with 26 assists and held the Aggies to 36% (27 of 75) shooting. 

The Razorbacks led 54-31 at halftime and by as many as 37 points in the second half. 

North Carolina A&T (3-10) lost its eighth consecutive game. The Aggies were led in scoring by Marion native Ryan Forrest (19 points) and Fayetteville native Landon Glasper (16).

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

North Carolina

After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina's holiday tourist season grinds to a halt

Published

22 hours ago

on

December 21, 2024

By

After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina's holiday tourist season grinds to a halt


So far, nearly half of the 10,129 displaced households the Federal Emergency Management Agency has worked with have been placed in temporary shelters across the state, such as hotels, apartments and mobile homes, FEMA said. The remaining households have already found long-term housing, a spokesperson said.

While the temporary housing program was scheduled to end on Dec. 12, federal officials said that FEMA caseworkers wouldn’t force people from their temporary quarters and that they would work urgently to find them permanent shelter.

FEMA has spent $262 million on individual rental assistance and home repairs for Helene survivors in North Carolina, a spokesperson said. Another $274 million went to repairing infrastructure and removing debris. More financial help will be coming, the spokesperson said, but how much hasn’t been established yet.

Local officials said they are grateful for the assistance, but much more aid will be needed to restore Asheville, Biltmore Village and surrounding areas to their former condition.

Advertisement

Manheimer and other North Carolina officials traveled to Washington last month to ask President Joe Biden and members of Congress for $25 billion to repair homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure in western North Carolina.

“We’re asking for so many exceptions and rules [to be] interpreted broadly, because this was an abnormal hurricane because of landslides, massive flooding, wind damage and large amounts of debris,” Manheimer said.

Private road and bridge repairs are costly, and there isn’t a specific federal program designed to repair them, she said.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending