EducationNC

NC lawmakers say they are closer to a budget deal after months without a comprehensive budget. Here’s what we know so far, plus how to weigh in with your perspective.

On the next Charlotte Talks local news roundup, the CMS board rejects Superintendent Crystal Hill’s proposed budget, leaving her to question how to proceed with little direction. Gaston and Cabarrus County schools join others in canceling classes Friday as teachers protest in Raleigh for higher pay. A bill to protect immigrant students from immigration enforcement is filed in the state House, and Duke Energy proposes a June rate increase.

School administrators face hundreds of requests for time off from teachers and staff for May 1.

A group of Myers Park High School students is pushing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to start high schools later, arguing that current start times leave teens chronically sleep deprived.

Middle and high school basketball players from North and South Carolina recently gathered at the historic Second Ward High School Gymnasium in uptown Charlotte for a showcase that blended competition and education.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is trying to increase scores on the DIBELS exam, a test that measures early literacy skills for students in kindergarten through third grade. One school is trying out a new strategy: teaching families how they can help prepare their children.

On average, North Carolina is slightly ahead of the rest of the country in terms of getting kids ready for kindergarten – but children from lower-income families are lagging behind their peers, new federal data shows.

State Rep. Carla Cunningham and others file a petition to remove Sheriff Garry McFadden from office. He responds, calling the allegations false. Meanwhile, Gov. Josh Stein endorses Cunningham’s primary opponent, citing statements she made last year about immigrants. A Mint Hill teen is denied bail in an alleged plot and the Panthers are in the playoffs.

It’s time for a fact check of North Carolina politics. This week, we’re looking at a claim that you've probably heard a lot in the long-running disputes about teacher pay. In a statement issued on Oct. 29, state Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton wrote, “North Carolina teachers are already the lowest paid teachers in the South.” For more, Paul Specht of WRAL joined WFAE’s Marshall Terry.

State education officials announced Wednesday that North Carolina students posted record gains in both participation and performance on Advanced Placement exams last school year.