Maybe first consider what has been taken away over the last two decades in such a surgical manner that it required gerrymanderd anasthesia and artificially sweetened propaganda to make sure it was ingested.
| In place 20 years ago | Now in 2026 |
| Caps on class sizes in all grades. | No class size caps and when they were floated as returning would have eliminated specials and electives. |
| The state of North Carolina financed professional development opportunities for all teachers. | No funding for that exists now. |
| At least in my school system, we had a seven-period day in which teachers taught 5 of 7 periods throughout the year. | Now in a block system, teachers teach the equivalent of 6 out of 8 periods. |
| Duties did not include manning metal detectors and sifting through student bags. | Such screening occurs often. |
| Students received consequences for infractions like skipping, smoking, tardiness, and disrespect. | Students seem to be able to get away with anything without consequences. |
| North Carolina did not have a school grading system driven by test scores. | NC has a school grading system that literally shows the effects of poverty on communities. |
| No EVAAS. | EVAAS with secret algorithms. |
| Salary step increases every year. | Frozen ten years in the salary schedule. |
| Graduate degree pay. | No graduate degree pay. |
| Longevity pay. | No longevity pay. |
| Due process rights. | No due process rights. |
| Charter school cap. | No charter school cap and no local school board oversight. |
| No vouchers. | Universal vouchers. |
| LEANDRO decision. | Abolishment of the LEANDRO decision. |
| Yearly budgets. | NOPE. |
| Ranked in the middle nation for teacher pay in public schools within a state. | 46th out of 51 (DC included). |
| Retiree health benefits. | No retiree health benefits. |
| COLA for retirees. | No COLA. |
| 90/10 plan for health insurance with low deductibles and premiums. | 80/20 with hundreds needs for monthly coverage. |
