The NC General Assembly will return to Raleigh on April 25 to begin its short session to complete budget adjustments to the 2015-17 biennial budget and to make other decisions.

The State Board of Education approved its budget request at its March meeting highlighting the need for improved teacher pay, more assistant principals, educator professional development, stronger general support for classrooms, additional support for digital learning (including Home Base) and classroom technology, and funding to continue the activities underway to turn around the slowest achieving schools. These items mentioned are summaries of a longer list. The Board’s request (BSOP 2 on agenda) reflects the needs that remain unmet or under-met since the recession.

I hope this list is something you can support as you speak to your lawmakers about your school district’s needs. These items have the potential to benefit all. Also, I appreciated the opportunity to meet with many of you in small groups over the past month.

Professional Development Series for School Leaders Continues

On April 20, NCDPI District and School Transformation in partnership with NCSU Northeast Leadership Academy (NELA) continues the Professional Development for School Leaders Series: The Connected Educator. The featured speaker, Principal Baruti Kafele, will guide participants through best practices for engaging the community and building meaningful partnerships to improve student learning.

Please join us for this exciting opportunity to connect with practitioners from across the state. Registration is open and can be accessed here. The April event will be held at the Hilton North Raleigh from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (on-site registration begins at 8:30 a.m.).

There is a 200 participant limit so register early. There is no registration fee for this event. A block of rooms has been reserved at a discounted rate at the Hilton North Raleigh. For more information, please contact Amelia McLeod.

Multi-Tiered System of Support:
Problem Solving

Over the past four weeks, over 150 educators attended one of the Problem Solving Within an MTSS Framework sessions. A “problem” is not attached to a negative connotation – it is defined as a difference between what we want and what is happening. MTSS teams problem solving around district, school, grade level, group, classroom or student data will consider questions such as:

-  Is there a problem?

-  Is this the right problem to solve?

-  What is the magnitude of the problem?

Big ideas to consider before beginning problem solving include:

-  the systematic problem-solving process that will be utilized;

-  the implementation and student data that will be utilized; and

-  the connection between this data and the health of our Core (at various level).

Thank you to Buncombe County Schools, Piedmont Triad Education Center, Martin County, Southeast Education Alliance and Union County Schools for hosting these sessions on this critical component of MTSS. The last sessions will be held this Thursday in Monroe and Williamston.

If you have additional questions, please contact Amy Jablonski.

#TaketheSurvey2016 …
Before It’s Too Late

We have reached the final week in the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions (NC TWC) Survey window. As of today, 68.16 percent of our education workforce has participated. We need your help to ensure that the remaining 31.84 percent gets their results in as soon as possible. You may want to refer to the weekly district reports from your regional education facilitator for your schools' results data to use when encouraging individual schools to participate. 

The NC TWC Survey, which ends this Friday, March 25, gathers feedback from teachers, counselors, principals and other administrators about every aspect of the school. The web-based survey is voluntary, anonymous and confidential.

Superintendent Vacancy Announced: Thomasville City Schools

The Thomasville Board of Education is seeking a superintendent to lead the school system in its continuing pursuit of excellence. Candidates must have or be qualified to hold a North Carolina superintendent license. Central office and building-level experience are preferred. A doctorate degree or progress toward a doctorate degree is preferred but not required. The individual chosen will be required to live in the Thomasville City Schools District. The application deadline is May 16.

An electronic version of the application is available by going to the N.C. School Board Association's website and clicking on the appropriate link. Inquiries and requests for applications also can be directed to Allison Schafer, Legal Counsel/Director of Policy, North Carolina School Boards Association, PO Box 97877, Raleigh NC 27624-7877, telephone 919/841-4040, fax 919/841-4020, email. All inquiries will be kept confidential.