Talk about whoppers!

The NC Association of Educators (NCAE) has no business claiming that Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger made false claims about the severity of budget cuts on teacher positions.

NCAE estimates of teacher position reductions have magically increased over the last month or two, starting at the original DPI estimate of 6,000 positions and then increasing to 8,000 and then 10,000 and then 12,000 and perhaps 18,000 positions. (Note: The blog post containing the 18,000 position estimate was deleted due to errors by its author, a former NC Democratic Party employee).

Furthermore, the NCAE has been silent on the issue of natural attrition and turnover.

For a number of teaching positions that will be (or have been) eliminated, the NCAE fails to acknowledge that reductions in city and county budgets, not the state budget, is to blame.

The NCAE has not addressed reductions in teaching positions as it relates to the change in the school start date. The change will generate a healthy drop in student enrollment next year, necessitating fewer teachers.

The NCAE appears to conflate teachers and literacy coaches. Literacy coaches are not teachers. Literacy coaches are consultants that apparently teach teachers how to teach reading. The legislature should cut consultants and other non-instructional personnel.

What’s the motive here? The NCAE is probably weary of attacking legislators that they have endorsed or supported (what I have called the NCAE Civil War). Thus, attacking a Republican probably makes them feel good.