Who's in control, and at what cost?

Preliminary test results indicate that more North Carolina schools are meeting basic federal standards for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).   While this news is encouraging, media reports remain fixed on a recent court decision to grant power back to the elected State Superintendent and away from the appointed CEO of the state's Department of Public Instruction.

For now, it appears that NC Schools CEO Bill Harrison will have some free time during the remaining weeks of summer to figure out his role within the state Department of Public Instruction. Harrison recently defended his salary of $265,000 as being "on par with the salaries earned by local superintendents."    With teacher cuts looming statewide and special needs educational programs being shut down, how can North Carolina afford such high paying bureaucracy?

Meanwhile, the situation paints public education in our state as a complicated system running  out of control.   Now more than ever, it's time to put North Carolina parents in the driver's seat. 

UPDATE 7/22/09: Harrison to retire, effective August 31.