drmassen's blog

This November, State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson received a resounding mandate from 2.2 million North Carolina voters to continue her work for four additional years. As prescribed by the North Carolina State Constitution, the function of the superintendent is as follows: “The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be the secretary and chief administrative officer of the State Board of Education.” This description contains no ambiguities.

Unfortunately, the actions of the governor with respect to this office – namely the installation of former Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Bill Harrison as the first individual to whom both the role of chief executive of the Department of Public Instruction and chairman of the State Board of Education – do not reflect an understanding of this explicit passage; in fact, the governor’s actions directly contradict it.

Raleigh News & Observer reports: Gov. Beverly Perdue has named William Harrison, superintendent of the Cumberland County Schools, to oversee statewide public education.

Harrison, a former teacher, principal and school system administrator, will serve as both chief executive officer and chairman of the State Board of Education, Lynn Bonner reports.

"We need to have a clear line of accountability," Perdue said at a news conference this afternoon.

Harrison has been superintendent in Cumberland County, the fourth-largest school system in North Carolina, since 1997. He also served as superintendent in Hoke and Orange counties and an assistant superintendent in Brunswick County.

In appointing Harrison, Perdue said she wanted to change the way the state's education system operates.

The House and Senate Education Appropriation Committee distributed a version of the Conference Budget this afternoon. Our public schools received less funding in the Conference Budget than was included for public schools in the House or the Senate passed Budgets. The Conference Budget is $33.9 million less than the Budget passed by the House for public schools. The Conference Budget is $10.2 million less than the Budget passed by the Senate for public schools.

As I wrapped up a final term paper I glanced over to my bookshelf and saw the collection of the West Wing t.v. series that I bought for myself about a year ago.

So I started watching again, and I started thinking again...