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Educator unions press board on compensation; public speaker urges curriculum changes
Summary
During public participation, union leaders and a community member urged the board to address educator pay, substitute shortages and curricular omissions; the Carroll County Education Association said it has been 438 days since a salary increase for its bargaining unit and called for meaningful action.
Public participation at the Nov. 12 Carroll County Board of Education meeting featured remarks from union leaders and a community speaker.
Cindy Porter, president of CASE (representing clericals and assistants), thanked staff for Veterans Day activities and described staff exhaustion and substitute shortages, urging community support for schools and inviting people to apply as substitutes.
Celeste Jordan, president of the Carroll County Education Association, told the board "438 days" had passed since members of the bargaining unit received a salary increase and urged action on compensation and working conditions. Jordan cited a Carroll County Times summary of local housing affordability (12/24/2024) and said many educators cannot afford local rent on their current salaries, noting a $63,582 figure for the 1-bedroom rental threshold reported in that local study.
A community speaker, Gary Foote, criticized omissions in teaching local Indigenous and civil-rights history and urged the board to take concrete steps to improve representation and civic education in schools. Board members acknowledged the comments and said staff would follow up where appropriate.
The board did not take immediate action on compensation at the meeting but scheduled budget work sessions where staffing and salary considerations were expected to be discussed.
