Schools initiave Powerpoint

Our Children's Right
Our Church’s Responsibility
Western North Carolina Conference
Public Education Task Force

The United Methodist Church 2012
Book of Resolutions
The United Methodist Church 2012 Book of
Resolutions includes Resolution #5051 – Public
Education and the Church. This resolution’s
origin was included in the 2000 Book of
Resolutions. It was amended and readopted in
2004 and readopted in 2008. Sections of that
resolution are stated below.

Book of Resolutions
. . . the church is called to remember, first
and foremost, the well-being of all God’s
children. Education is a right of all
children and is affirmed by Scripture
which calls us to ‘train children in the way
they should go’ (Proverbs 22:6)

Book of Resolutions
The public school is the primary route for most
children into full participation in our economic,
political, and community life. As a consequence of
inequities in our society, we have a moral
responsibility to support, strengthen, and reform
public schools. They have been, and continue to be,
both an avenue of opportunity and a major cohesive
force in our society, a society becoming daily more
diverse racially, culturally, and religiously.

Our Children’s Right
Our Church’s Responsibility

Book of Resolutions
A new phenomenon in our society is “re-
segregating of communities” which further
diminishes the effectiveness of public schools.
Most tellingly, the schools that offer the least to
their students are those serving poor children,
among which children of color figure
disproportionately, as they do in all the shortfalls
of our common life.

Book of Resolutions
We do affirm our conviction that
public funds should be used for public
purposes.

Challenges and Trends . . .
 Understand Critical Needs in Funding
Education for All Children
 Addressing Teacher Shortage
 Helping Children in Poverty
 Providing Quality Education for All
Children

The issue of the public funding of education
in North Carolina has taken the national
spotlight in recent years. Multiple cuts in
the state budget have taken a toll on school
systems and teachers across the state. There
has been a loss of teachers as they turn to
other states for employment.

“North Carolina has had a teacher turnover
problem severe enough that the legislature last
year passed a law to raise the salaries of some
teachers to try to entice more to stay. But
according to new state data, that rate rose in
2014-2015, and more teachers are leaving the
state to teach elsewhere this academic year
than last year.” (The Washington Post, October 21, 2015, “North
Carolina teacher exodus rises – despite efforts to halt attrition”)

The disparities of average teacher salaries in North Carolina
compared to the national average have increased over time.
(Source: “Highlights of the North Carolina School Budget –
February 2016” produced by Information Analysis Division of
School Business, North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction; available at ncpublischools.org)
 In 2001-2002 average North Carolina teacher salaries were
$42,680, which was 95.57% of the national average of
$44,655.
 By 2014-2015 average North Carolina teacher salaries were
$47,792, which was 83.29% of the national average of
$57,379.

Decrease in college students choosing teaching:
27% enrollment decline in NC public university
system teaching programs 2010-2014

. . . and loss of Teaching Fellows program
across North Carolina

Poverty’s impact in rural areas is even greater, due to lower
local tax revenue
53 percent of public school students come from low-income
homes
Overall, schools with higher poverty had the lowest school
achievement grades
Poverty has been increasing in both rural and
suburban areas

 Participation in high-quality pre-K significantly improves a
child’s chance of success in school; currently 40,000
children are on a waiting list for pre-K
 A quality public education can make a significant, positive
impact on children living in poverty
A Quality Public Education, including Pre-K,
Can Help Students Escape the Cycle of Poverty

Physical factors including substandard
housing and inadequate nutrition directly
affect a child’s performance in school

 Children who attend preschool gain confidence by
learning the expectations and routines of school
through close communication with other children.
 Pre-K is a place where children learn to socialize,
make decisions, interact with others, and negotiate—
all of which are important to child development.

123 studies across four decades of early education
research found that by third grade, one-third of the
racial achievement gap can be closed by early
education.

Our Call to Action as United Methodists
 What are we as North Carolina United Methodists in
our Churches, Districts, and Conferences Called to
Do?
 Support C4C Grass Roots Efforts (Congregations
for Children)
 Speak for Children Who have No Voice
 Educate and Advocate for Quality public schools by-
----

 Honoring teachers for the crucial
work they do with young people;
and advocating for appropriate
salaries commensurate with their
vital role in society;

Encouraging young people of our congregations to
enter the teaching profession

 Insisting that all curricula present
the best textbooks and teaching at
all levels, acknowledging that we
encourage children to read, to
imagine, and to understand the
many wonders of God’s creation

 Advocating for the inclusion of
differently-abled students in our
classrooms, and ensuring that
teachers have the special training
needed to meet these children’s
needs

 Advocating at the state and local
level for adequate public school
funding and equitable distribution
of state funds; and supporting
efforts to end unjust educational
disparities between rich and poor
communities

 Learning about public school issues,
offering candidate forums during school
board elections, and educating church
members about local funding ballot
issues and about the historical role of
churches in creating and supporting
public schools

Advocating for strengthened teacher training,
for enhanced professional development for
teachers and administrators, and for policies
that assign teachers only to disciplines in
which they are fully prepared, to classes
whose size encourages individualized
assistance, and to schedules that give teachers
time to prepare or consult with other teachers,
students, and parents;

 Advocating for universal, early,
and quality preschool education
for all children

 Advocating that public education
as a basic human right; and not
relying on school fund-raising and
state alternative revenues, such as
gambling, for financial support.

Coordinate with the North Carolina
Conference, in these ‘Calls to Action’ and to
establish an ongoing joint task force in
developing ways that these values on public
education can be promoted and
communicated through our churches,
districts, and Conferences to the leaders of
North Carolina's government..

What does the Lord require of you? To
act justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8(NIV)

WNCC Task Force Members
Rev. Jay Bissett, Elder in the WNCC serving Sardis and Reeves Chapel in Asheville.
Wade Hampton, member of Main Street UMC in Kernersville. Retired Teacher and Principal
from Guilford County Schools.
Bruce Woody, member of Red Hill UMC in Mitchell County. Retired Principal from Mitchell High
School. Bruce's wife Sally was also a career educator.
Rev. Amelia Stinson-Wesley, Elder in the WNCC, serving Purcell UMC in Pineville
Rev. David Reeves Elder in the WNCC, Cullowhee UMC
Maggie Charleton Retired Elementary and Special Ed teacher Member Central UMC Asheville
Rev. Matt Smith, Elder in the WNCC serving Guilford College UMC, Chair of Conference
Justice and Reconciliation Team
Rev. Philip Joseph Tate Local Pastor in the WNCC serving East Marion UMC



Schools initiave Powerpoint

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked (15)

Similar to Schools initiave Powerpoint (20)

More from The United Methodist Church (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Schools initiave Powerpoint