On Navigating the Murky Waters {of NC Public School Policies}

I did not become a teacher in North Carolina public schools because I thought I would make a lot of money.  I did not become a teacher to live in a huge house, drive a Lamborghini, and enjoy floor seats at NBA games.  I became a teacher because I love history, teenagers are inspiring to be around, and I thoroughly enjoy the spirit of a schoolhouse.  I just hoped that I would make enough money to own a house, a car, support my family, and have some savings.

I am 14 years into this now, and I have loved most every minute of teaching.  My motivations for being in the classroom have not changed, if anything my motivations have sharpened.  In addition, my wife is an educator - and we manage to own a home, cars, and support our two children on our state salaries. The past five years, our budget has tightened for sure, but hasn't every one's?  A general raise would be nice, at this point - but we are not living on the street either.

Based on the rhetoric, most of us teachers believed that this past summer, we would finally see a raise in our salaries.  There was much hope around these schools that things would improve for all of us in the classrooms.  The state legislature had different ideas for how to reform education, and passed a series of laws that significantly altered the status quo, including: changing the length (and nature) of our contracts, and taking away extra pay for advanced degrees.
Probably the most controversial initiative that became law last summer is the 25% rule.  Each school system in North Carolina (there are 116 systems) must choose their top 25% teachers by this summer, and offer them a four year contract and a $5000.00 raise (cumulative over four years).  This new four year contract will replace their existing permanent contract.  The methods by which local school boards will determine this elite 25% are unclear, though it must involve evaluations.  No matter what, all teachers in the state of North Carolina will lose their permanent contracts in 2018.

My particular school system is in the process of deciding how they will choose this 25%, and it has led to a divisive environment here at my high school.  Some teachers are signing pledges "not to sign" any four-year contract that is offered, as they argue that we will lose all due process rights, and that the future of education is too uncertain for us to relinquish our permanent long term contracts.  Others are excited about the possibility of more money, a longer contract (beginning teachers only have one year contracts), and the idea that some teachers (who are maybe no longer in their prime) will be motivated to change.  Some are disseminating information to persuade their fellow teachers one way of another, in this effort to draw the lines more clearly.  And everyone that I have spoken to about this seems to have his/her heart in the right place, seriously wants to help students, and work an honest job.

At current, I am uncertain where I fall on this continuum.  On one hand - I love teaching, I work hard at it, and I use unorthodox methods.  In addition, I love to balk at the status quo, and I am generally very open to change. So, I appreciate efforts to challenge the modus operandi, and attempt to introduce change the current system of education in our state.  I also like the idea of rewarding teachers who are the rockstars of the profession, while still providing a basic level of due process within the contractual period.
But on the other hand, I am unsure if these new ideas will bring about positive change in the schools. So far they have merely served to be divisive and confusing.  And how on earth will anyone quantify how a teacher impacts the lives of his/her students?  And I have always liked the idea of permanent contracts, because it makes my dismissal from the profession a process of documentation, fairness, and it ensures my protection of academic freedom.
So, I am working my way through this, and trying to gain new understanding.  I welcome any thoughts that you, dear reader, may have on the subject.