GREENSBORO, N.C. — A state statute is being cited as the reason more than 200 teachers at the North Carolina Virtual Public School received termination letters on Tuesday. The decision would impact virtual teachers who signed up to teach summer school.
Prior to the notice, the teachers could work every semester by choice. However, a new push to implement a state statute would change that if state legislators don't step in.
In the letter to the teachers, NCVPS stated ;
"NC General Statute 126-6.3b requires temporary state employees to have a minimum 31-day separation from service (employment) each year. While the law requires a 31-day separation period, classes at NCVPS are offered on a semester basis. NCVPS needs to ensure the continuity of instruction during a semester and as such, the mandatory separation period for NCVPS temporary employees will be a semester in length."
Another letter sent to teacher stated;
"According to OSHR and Temporary Solutions, all temporary employees (including NCVPS teachers, coaches, and ILs) must take a mandatory 31-day break in service from NCVPS annually to align with NC General Statute § 126-6.3(b). During the mandatory break in service, temporary employees are not allowed to complete any tasks (paid or unpaid) for NCVPS."
The news has devastated many teachers, some of whom rely solely on their job for income.
"I have worked for the virtual school for 12 years. I have worked every fall, spring, and summer for those 12 years," said Temple Eller, who worked a second job as a virtual teacher.
Eller has been with Guilford County Schools for 32 years and now teaches Latin at Grimsley High School. Going by the termination letter, she would not be able to teach in the fall and it's not guaranteed she would be rehired for the spring semester.
"If I had known sooner I could have made adjustments for the losses in the financial support for my family," added Eller. Fortunately for Eller, she has her full-time job at Grimsley unlike her friend Claire Driscoll.
"With 2 weeks I don't have time to find another job," added Driscoll.
"For me, this is my career. This fall semester I'm looking at a loss of about $25,000," said Driscoll.
State Superintendent Mark Johnson reacted to news of the termination notice in a statement which was sent to affected teachers.
"NCVPS educators –
You recently received an email from NCVPS about NCVPS teacher employment status under state law. The directive to take a semester-long break was determined by NCVPS with legal counsel from the State Board office and the Office of State Human Resources.
While I believe those involved were attempting to find a good solution, I was unfortunately not consulted on this issue. I am now aware and have already reached out to the Governor's office and the General Assembly to find a better solution."
Driscoll and Eller are hoping for a quick solution and that could come by way of legislative action if state lawmakers decide to step in.
NCDPI and the State Board of Education delivered a joint message to the Education Chairs of the NC General Assembly regarding the NCVPS teachers
"Dear Education Chairs,
We are reaching out to update you on a recent situation pertaining to the NC Virtual Public Schools. Since 2014, the NCVPS has used OSHR's Temp Solutions to process payroll for NCVPS teachers. State law requires all temporary employees to take a mandatory 31-day break in service. OSHR recently communicated to NCVPS that this break in service applies to NCVPS teachers, and as a result, NCVPS communicated to its teachers that certain employees would be required to take an annual service break this fall semester, and others would be required to take a break in the spring. This is not a preferable solution, as, in addition to impacting teachers' workload and income, it would require canceling or reducing enrollment in half of NCVPS's 150 courses this year, and an estimated 7,300 students would be unable to take advantage of the NCVPS courses this year."
After speaking with Legislative Research staff, it appears that a short-term fix would be for NCVPS to be exempted from the 11-month requirement, as has been done for some other groups. For the long term, DPI will be working on other payment and employment options.
We have updated Shelby Armentrout and Eric Naisbitt on the details and would like to partner with you on a legislative amendment as soon as possible to address this urgent need. Please reach out with any questions or for additional input. Thanks in advance for your consideration of our request."
More than 50,000 students enroll in North Carolina Virtual Public School classes statewide. It is one of the largest online class programs in the United States. Since it began operating in 2007, more than 175,000 middle school and high school students have sought classes on its portal.
If legislators are unable to find a solution, many of those students could find themselves short on course instructors.
"Kids who live in very very rural areas turn to us because they cannot find the classroom teachers and we level the playing field for them," concluded Driscoll.