CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte-Mecklenbug School board committee met with representatives from both the local and state chapters of the North Carolina Association of Educators Wednesday night.
On the table was a discussion about whether CMS might take a position on piloting a state board of education proposal that would overhaul teacher licensing and pay in the state.
"We don't have enough just enough information to make the proper considerations at this time," board member Stephanie Sneed said.
Her fellow CMS board members repeated this talking point often during the meeting, attempting to make clear the board would not take a position before getting feedback on the proposal from its own staff and teachers, among other considerations.
Van Dempsey spoke with educators in February. He's the chair of the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission, which is the group in charge of drafting the proposal. He specifically spoke to members of CMS’s Intergovernmental Relationships Committee.
"I have lots of questions, just like everybody else does, because like we've echoed, it was not a plan. It was barely a framework," said Melissa Easley, CMS board member
The state board's proposal is light on the details, but the basics are to tie a teacher's pay to the license they hold. That license would be determined in part by a teacher’s experience level and evaluations.
In short: the higher the license, the higher the pay.
There's been no clear answer on exactly what evaluations teachers would be subject to with the proposal. A member of the North Carolina Association of Teachers said at the meeting judging a teacher by student evaluations could be problematic.
"If a student is evaluating his or her teachers? Are they just going to naturally evaluate their gym teacher higher than they were their math teacher?" questioned Nicole Price, NCAE's Associate Executive Director.
The consensus in the meeting was that more information is needed about the proposal as soon as possible since it could impact the future of teaching in North Carolina for years.
The proposal is currently still in its draft phases. It must be voted on by the state board of education, and then go to the general assembly for consideration for funding.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.