Time To Stock The Shelves With School Supplies

During the 2012-2013 school year, teachers spent an estimated $1.6 billion on classroom supplies, a national average of about $485 per teacher, according to a recent report produced by the school supply industry trade group National School Supply and Equipment Association. Many teachers will go into their own pockets again this summer to ensure all their students have the resources they need when they start school in August.

You can help.

STEM Fellows Connects Teachers With Major Industry

Southwest High School science teachers Janis McDonald and
Jim Von Steen look on as their mentor, Dr. Cheryl Beste,
a Syngenta analyst, discusses the procedure they're about to conduct. 

Guilford Education Alliance welcomed the STEM Fellows class of 2013 earlier this month. STEM Fellows is a three week program designed to provide the opportunity for Guilford County Schools’ teachers in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to work in a STEM industry to experience real-world applications of their subject matter. With this experience, they will be able to make their classroom lessons more relevant for their students.

Budget Talks Near An End...But To What End?

This is, without question, among the most frustrating budget seasons in North Carolina history for supporters of public education. And the slight concessions that lawmakers have made seem so pale in comparison to the terrible hardship those lawmakers are set to unleash on our children and teachers. It’s hard to consider any concessions as victories.

Guilford County Commissioners are expected to vote on the county budget in just a few hours, including local funding for our schools. The Guilford County school board, you may remember, requested about $24 million in additional local funding, in large part to offset current and expected state budget cuts. On Monday, commissioners moved to revise their proposed budget to include about $1.5 million in additional funding to our schools.

Award Honors Arbuckle And Sets Standard For Leadership

Retiring Executive Director Margaret Arbuckle poses
with school board member Rebecca Buffington.

Guilford Education Alliance announced this week the creation of the Margaret Bourdeaux Arbuckle Award in honor of our retiring Executive Director Margaret Arbuckle. This annual award will go to a community member who exemplifies the qualities Margaret is best known for, a passion for education, leadership for the greater good and a tireless work ethic.

This award seeks to honor Margaret’s influential work as a community leader, not just for her eight-year tenure with Guilford Education Alliance but also as a Guilford County commissioner, Associate Director of the Center for Youth, Family and Community Partnerships at UNCG and an indefatigable advocate for children. Margaret has dedicated her life to advocating for children and human dignity and in the doing set an amazing example for generations to come.

Why Your Voice Matters Tonight

This evening the Guilford County Board of Commissioners will open the floor to hear from you on their proposed budget developed by the County Manager. That budget does not include additional funding for our schools, despite a request for a $13.6 million increase in local funding from the school board.

That's a big mistake. Our commissioners have held local funding for schools steady over the last several years while many county's cut their local support. That's applaudable and shows the kind of level-headed leadership needed during difficult times. But, like in any race, there comes a time to put all those miles of conservation to use by breaking into a sprint. And make no mistake, Guilford County is in a race and it can't be won without developing the best educated workforce possible.

Raleigh Passes The Buck, Not The Test

Researchers studying voucher systems in communities like Cleveland and Milwaukee where they have been in place for years, have found no significant academic improvement between students using a voucher paid with tax dollars to attend private schools and their public school counterparts. So if vouchers don't fix academic problems why are so many in Raleigh pushing so hard for them? Because it passes the buck.

Senate Budget Proposal Fails Our Students

The state Senate approved its budget proposal this week and as expected it offers nearly no support for education.

The budget, approved along party lines in the Republican-held Senate, falls about $135 million short of what's needed to keep current standards. Standards, we remind you, that were already drastically lowered during the Great Recession by about $1 billion.

Here's a quick breakdown of the damage the Senate budget would do: