CTU President Tells Teachers to ‘Start Saving’ Ahead of Potential Strike

Matt Masterson March 18, 2019 CTU President Jesse Sharkey outlines his union’s contract demands in a press conference inside City Hall on Jan. 15, 2019. (Chicago Tonight) The head of the Chicago Teachers Union is telling members to start setting aside at least a portion of their upcoming paychecks in anticipation of a possible teachers…

Teachers tell SC senators higher pay, social workers needed at schools

By Seanna Adcox  Mar 18, 2019  York School District Superintendent Kelly Coxe testified Monday, March 18, at a Senate panel’s public hearing on education reform at Gaffney High School. Seanna Adcox/Staff Clover School District Superintendent Sheila Quinn testified Monday, March 18, before a Senate panel reviewing education reform. The public hearing at Gaffney High School…

Help wanted: Why teachers aren’t staying in S.C. classrooms

KIANA MILLER March 19, 2019 Kalu Kalu Jr., director of human resources for Allendale County School District, hopes to bring more teachers to his district as the teaching shortage continues to grow in South Carolina. COLUMBIA — Veteran South Carolina teachers are fleeing classrooms in record numbers because of low pay, a burdensome testing system…

Kaine introduces bipartisan bill to address teacher shortages

Nick Shepherd Mar 13, 2019  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced a bill in the Senate on Tuesday which would address principal and teacher shortages, especially in rural communities. Kaine introduced the bipartisan bill with U.S. Senator Susan Collins, R-ME. The bill is named the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act and aims…

Texas Senate unveils its first version of a school finance reform bill

By Aliyya Swaby   March 11, 2019   On the night of the deadline to file bills this legislative session, Texas Senate leaders turned in their first crack at legislation designed to reform school finance — rounding out a series of proposals in the upper chamber aiming to address rising property taxes and fix the way…

North Carolina Teachers Who Carry Guns Would Get A Pay Raise Under This New Bill

By MORGAN BRINLEE Ian Waldie/Getty Images News/Getty Images North Carolina state legislators are hoping to encourage more teachers to carry guns on school campuses in an effort they say is aimed at providing a cost effective solution to curbing school shootings. A recently introduced North Carolina bill wouldraise the pay of teachers willing to carry guns at…

The quest for ‘betterment’ in public education

Hoppy’s Commentary | March 08, 2019 Get ready for the upcoming statewide debate on education “betterment.” Governor Jim Justice said that after the regular session ends at midnight Saturday lawmakers can “go out and listen to teachers, parents, community leaders, and all those with a vested interest in making education better in West Virginia.” It’s expected that later…

Public schools will not be harmed by voucher program, says Tennessee governor

BY JACINTHIA JONES  – March 8, 2019 PHOTO: Jacinthia Jones/Chalkbeat Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee delivers his State of West Tennessee address at the University of Memphis.    Gov. Bill Lee doubled down Thursday on his plan to give “educational choices” — including vouchers — to students from low-income families in Tennessee’s lowest-performing districts, and he said that his proposal…

Kentucky teachers are calling out sick to protest bills in Legislature

By Dakin Andone,  March 7, 2019 Hundreds of teachers fill the Kentucky Capitol on March 7. (CNN)Several Kentucky school districts were closed Thursday after teachers called out sick to voice their opposition to a bill they believe will benefit private schools at the expense of underfunded public schools. It wasn’t clear exactly how many teachers called…