Bill would give teachers $400 to buy supplies, but two NC Teachers of the Year don't support it

The bill received pushback from two North Carolina Teacher of the Year winners who said they don't support the plan because it doesn't provide extra funding and only reallocates existing money.

"If it’s new funds, that’s incredible, that’s great. We all need it. But if it’s taking the power away from the districts ...," said Freebird McKinney, North Carolina's 2018 Teacher of the Year. "We really need increased instructional funding. I believe that was probably the intent (lawmakers had), that they’re thinking, 'Man, we’re trying to listen to teachers.' But I don’t believe that ultimately that (bill) would work well in anybody’s favor."

Sen. Andy Wells, R-Catawba, one of the bill's sponsors, said the change is needed because some school districts have misspent money meant for classroom supplies.

"What did they spend the money on? Short answer ... other things on their to-do list and left teachers paying for their own school supplies," Wells said. "Bureaucrats will no longer be able to take that money and spend it on something else."

The General Assembly appropriates $47 million for school supplies. Under the bill, about $37 million would be distributed to teachers – $400 each – and the remaining $10 million would be sent to school districts for large school-wide orders.

Johnson said that, during his two years of teaching high school in Charlotte, he often paid for supplies out of his own pocket.

"I vividly remember not having enough copy paper," he said.

The bill would give teachers "maximum control" to buy items for their classroom and allow the state to see how the money is being used, Johnson said.

"This program will provide greater transparency," he said.

One person who was noticeably absent from Wednesday's announcement was 2017 North Carolina Teacher of the Year Lisa Godwin, who was scheduled to attend but decided against it.

In a Facebook post on North Carolina Teachers United on Tuesday, Godwin wrote: "A press announcement went out earlier today that stated I would be attending an educational announcement ... I just wanted to clarify that the announcement was somewhat premature. After much consideration and prayer, I have decided not to be a part of the announcement."

Asked about Godwin's absence, Johnson said he didn't know why she wasn't there and said he hadn't talked to her. When asked if she would support the legislation, he said he thought she would.

“I know there was a conversation yesterday and she was excited,” he said.

In an interview Wednesday, Godwin said the superintendent's legislative liaison reached out to her Tuesday afternoon and asked if she would support the bill.

"The initial call, when they called me and said, 'We’re going to be giving teachers $400,' and I was like, 'Wow, that’s amazing.' So, yeah, that was excitement, but that was surface level excitement," Godwin said. "I was under the assumption that it was new money, that the $400 was on top of what the district would already be getting, which is something I've been advocating for ... But then I did more research, because I have not seen the bill."

Once she found out the money was being reallocated and not increased, she called the superintendent's liaison to say she wouldn't lend her support.

"I told him I just don’t feel comfortable being a part of this because I do feel like there could be repercussions for teachers and for districts," Godwin said, adding that she was not told her name would be on the superintendent's press release. "When we stand up for a bill, it’s not Freebird (McKinney) and I standing up, it’s 100,000 teachers that we’re standing up for, so you have to be very thoughtful about that."

"That $400 is not going to go very far in a classroom," Godwin added. "It’s not going to last long at all, and my fear is we’re going to get to maybe November or December and the money’s not going to be there anymore."

Although she doesn't support the bill, Godwin said she didn't mean to create controversy around the superintendent's announcement.

"I would never want to do anything to undermine my state leaders or hurt the people I work with, and Mark Johnson is someone I work very closely with," she said. "I would never want to hurt him in any way."

Godwin and McKinney both serve on the State Board of Education and say there is other legislation they both support.

"There's so many great things going on, and there's so many great bills right now that are really working in an advantageous and supportive way," McKinney said, adding that bills about master's pay for teachers, school safety and teaching assistants are great to see. "We don’t want this one issue or instance to tarnish what we know the legislators are working hard on."