Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools May/June 2015 | Page 10

State legislators talk with local school officials about funding Union County Public Schools hosted several state legislators recently to talk about various bills, the state budget and UCPS initiatives. Five teachers and two administrators were invited for the informal round-table discussion: Principal Donna Cook, Assistant Principal Lisa Justice, Spanish teacher Alejandra Elliot, Social Studies teacher Matthew Gain, CTE Teacher Troy Burns, Math teacher Sandra Tran, and International Baccalaureate teacher Ann Yochem held at Marvin Ridge High School. Horn, who is chairman of the several education committees including the Education Appropriations, the K-12 Education committees and the House Study Committee on Education Innovation, spoke on legislative issues and money affecting education in the state. “We are the highest performing high school in North Carolina, yet I had 37 teachers leave for South Carolina or the private industry where they can make more money,” Cook said. “I’ve been in this career for 30 years,” said math teacher Sandra Tran. “I think it’s a slap in the face to give pay raises only to beginning teachers. In what other profession can you walk in the door and make more money than experienced employees? It’s the veteran teachers who are leaving.” “We take this very seriously,” Horn said. “What we did last year is one piece of the puzzle. We are committed to keeping the ball rolling.” A second gathering occurred during a legislative breakfast led by UCPS Board of Education’s Legislative Committee at the Professional Development Center. Legislators were given a list of the nine items on the UCPS Legislative Agenda: driver’s education, the school calendar, A-F grading of schools, Average Daily Membership (ADM) funding, teacher 21 days for $21 Our members are excited about the results they are getting at Fit Body Boot Camp! • FIRM, TONE and STRENGTHEN target areas • Burn Fat • Drop Sizes • More Energy • Lose Weight • Feel Great • Get in the BEST Shape of your life! – Guaranteed! Charlotte-Waxhaw Fit Body Boot Camp 27292 Waxhaw Parkway, Suite A Waxhaw NC 28173 8 • Mar/Apr 2015 • Parent Teacher Magazine  855-929-3222 [email protected] pay, principal/assistant principal compensation, teacher assistant funding, reduction of testing, and the North Carolina Pre-K program. A lengthy discussion evolved about the state’s tentative plans to discontinue funding for driver’s education, which is currently funded by the state through the Highway Fund. If the state removes funding for this, local school systems would be responsible. Money will run out for driver’s education, a state-mandated program, on June 30, unless lawmakers act to restore funding. If legislators do not restore funding, school districts will have to pay the costs to offer the course, or require parents to pay an estimated $300 to $400 per student. “No matter what we want, we still have to base it on the amount of money we take in, and we seriously have to consider that if we want more money, are we going to turn around and raise taxes?” said Rep. Brody. “You’ve elected us to manage the state, not to make ourselves look good.” --This article was written by Deb Coates Bledsoe, and provided courtesy of the Communications Office of the Union County Public Schools. NC Speaker of the House Tim Moore and UCPS Board of Education Vice Chairman Leslie Boyd (At-large), tour a class at Marvin Ridge High School.