The state House Select Committee on Education Reform approved a report Monday that addresses issues such as teacher pay and school performance.
The committee has met six times since January to hear from education experts on a variety of topics, including teacher pay, artificial intelligence in the classroom and school performance.
Members compiled a report summarizing their findings and recommendations to be shared at the general meeting.
Their first point relates to recruiting and retaining quality teachers. Wake County Legislator Maria Servania spoke about this at Monday's meeting.
“I think we all agree that we want clarity on teacher compensation because we have a significantly reduced workforce,” Servania said.
The report states that teachers' salaries have not kept pace with increases in living costs and salaries of other public servants. The committee recommends that the General Assembly evaluate the compensation of educators and find ways to attract and retain teachers in hard-to-fill positions.
The report also calls on lawmakers to revise the current A-through-F school grading model to include factors other than students' test scores. Specifically, it refers to postsecondary preparation, extracurricular activities, and chronic absenteeism.
Randolph County Rep. Brian Biggs, co-chair of the committee, spoke about why student absences should be included in the new model.
“It's tough sometimes when you have a school system and the kids are not in school, but the staff, you know, are being judged on their performance when they're not in school and it's impossible to teach them. ,” Biggs said. You need to take this factor into account a little. ”
Other recommendations in the report include increasing student access to mental health professionals, identifying funding sources to modernize technology in schools, and investing in learning recovery interventions.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. Follow @amydiaze on Twitter.
