Public School Matters

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team speaks with Jason Johnson, 2025 NC Principal of the Year and 2026 National High School Principal of the Year . Our hosts discuss the challenges that face Principals, Assistant Principals, and all school administrators. They also talk about advocating with state legislators to raise awareness on issues currently affecting NC Public Schools statewide.

This week our Advocacy Team sits down to have a conversation with NCASA’s Incoming Executive Director, Dr. Travis Reeves . Dr. Reeves, who currently serves as the Superintendent of Surry County Schools , will officially assume the duties of Executive Director on July 1, 2026 . In this episode Dr. Reeves shares his thoughts on NCASA, his vision for the organization’s future in supporting school lea...

This week the NCASA Advocacy Team discusses the importance of the March 3rd Primary Election with Alex Baltzegar , Executive Director of the NC FreeEnterprise Foundation , also known as NCFree. NCFree’s mission is focused on promoting a free enterprise system through research, education, and political engagement, which includes informative analyses on key races and trends shaping North Carolina el...

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team speaks with Dr. Rodney Peterson, Superintendent of Person County Schools and the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year , about challenges he and other superintendents are facing in leading public schools.

In this episode our NCASA Advocacy Team takes an important look back at the unprecedented devastation that Hurricane Helene caused in western and northwestern North Carolina in late September 2024, just over a year ago and how it impacted K-12 education in those areas. Special guests for this episode are: Dr. Rob Jackson , Superintendent of Buncombe County Schools; and Dr. Eisa Cox , Superintenden...

The NCASA Advocacy Team talks with Jack Hoke, Executive Director of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association (NCSSA) , about data NCSSA has collected early in the 2025-26 school year that shows vacancies statewide in teaching positions and other staff. They discuss how the vacancies compare to previous years, their impact on students, and strategies for addressing staffing shortages...

In this episode, the NCASA Advocacy Team welcomes Dr. Matthew Cheeseman , Superintendent of Beaufort County Schools and President-Elect of the NCASA Board of Directors ; Beckie Spears , Principal of Wilkesboro Elementary School and the 2024 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year ; and Kimberly Jones , an English and Humanities teacher for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and the 2023 Bu...

As state lawmakers take a brief break during the long, hot summer, lots of activity is happening in regard to K-12 public education legislation and funding. A recent decision from the U.S. Department of Education to withhold billions of dollars in education funding for states, including $165 million for North Carolina, has district and charter school leaders in crisis-management mode as they try t...

This week, NCASA welcomes two guests to help us explain the “Art of Education Advocacy:" Dr. Stephen Fisher, Superintendent of Cleveland County Schools and President-Elect of NCASA’s Board of Directors ; and Dr. John Lassiter, Principal of Hertford Grammar School in Perquimans County Schools and the 2025 Wells Fargo Northeast Regional Principal of the Year . Together, along with our host, Kat...

This week our Executive Director, Katherine Joyce, focuses on the challenges our local public schools face as state funding for private school vouchers is at an all-time high. Katherine is joined by Tracy Zimmerman , Vice President for Policy and Strategy at the Neimand Collaborative, a nationally renowned social impact marketing firm, and Dr. Rhonda Schuhler , Superintendent of Franklin County Sc...

This week NCASA is honored to speak with the NEW State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Maurice "Mo" Green . He talks about his first month in office and his vision and goals for K-12 education in North Carolina. 

This week the NCASA Advocacy Team talks about the latest legislative activity affecting K-12 public schools in North Carolina and provides listeners with an overview of NCASA’s recently-approved legislative and policy priorities for 2025. To see NCASA's 2025 Legislative Priorities, click HERE .

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team goes over highlights of the 2024 election results and discusses what impact those results could have on the future of K-12 education in North Carolina.  Resources: 2024 General Election Results (NC State Board of Elections) Handout: 2025 North Carolina Leadership (NCASA) Handout: Changes In State Education Leadership Overview (Education Commission of the States)

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team provides an update on NC’s Opportunity Scholarship Program, or “private school vouchers.” For more on this important issue, NCASA members can visit the NCASA Advocacy Center that provides a wealth of information and news about this issue and may others affecting K-12 education in our state. Reference these resources mentioned in this week's podcast: Office o...

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team speaks about the upcoming general election and what the results could mean for education in North Carolina. Join us in a few weeks for our episode covering key election results too! For more in-depth analysis from our NCASA Team, see the links below: NCASA Governor Candidate Voter Guide NCASA State Superintendent Candidate Voter Guide

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team discusses highlights from the final weeks of legislative activity at the North Carolina General Assembly.  It’s the end of the 2024 short session! Or is it? Bills discussed in this podcast: NC Senate Bill 332 - 2023 Appropriations Act Changes NC Senate Bill 357 - Adjustments to 2023 Appropriations Act NC House Bill 1032 - Academic Transparency

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team speaks with Dr. Rhonda Schuhler , Superintendent of Franklin County Schools and President of NCASA Board of Directors, and Dr. Tony Jackson , Superintendent of Chatham County School System and President of NCSSA Board of Directors, about what issues and challenges “keep them up at night.”

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team takes a deeper dive into the principal pay plan proposal with Donna Bledsoe, the 2023 NC Principal of the Year, and Patrick Greene, the 2022 NC Principal of the Year.

In this episode, our Education Advocacy Team highlights comments from various school superintendents who visited the NC General Assembly to address needs in their respective districts. 

In this episode, our Education Advocacy Team recaps the events that took place at the NC General Assembly on May 1st as part of Principals’ Appreciation and Advocacy Day . The event, co-hosted by NCASA and the NC Principals and Assistant Principals’ Association (NCPAPA) , provided an opportunity for principals from around the state to visit the state legislature and discuss issues affecting princi...

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team discusses legislative priorities and expected hot topics in education for the 2024 North Carolina legislative short session beginning on April 24.

This week, Elizabeth Yelverton, NCASA Legal Affairs & Policy Manager, is joined by Tara Thomas , Policy Analyst, AASA, for an update on the latest federal education news. Follow Tara Thomas on X (formerly known as Twitter) @ TaraEThomas1 or get up to date information at the national level by reading The Leading Edge: Policy & Advocacy Blog . You can also listen to her on AASA’s PEP Talk (P...

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team discusses current legislative and policy hot topics in North Carolina’s education system.

This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team shares highlights of the long-awaited 2023 state budget package and is joined by North Carolina arts educator and state Representative Jeffrey Elmore (R-Wilkes) .

As the NC Legislative Long Session continues, there are plenty of K-12 Education Budget issues on the table! This week our NCASA Advocacy Team dives deep into the pages of the competing House and Senate budget proposals for 2023-2025 and their expected impact on K-12 education. We also touch on some of the budget priorities that NCASA is continuing to seek on behalf of public-school leaders, as su...