NEWS FROM THE 108TH DISTRICT

Friends,


On Thursday, September 29th, I attended two legislative events in Gaston County. The first event was a legislative breakfast hosted by Holy Angels in Belmont, NC. Also attending the breakfast were State Representative Kelly Hastings and State Senator-Elect Brad Overcash. Meeting with us were Regina Moody, President of Holy Angels, Kerri Massey, Chief Executive Officer of Holy Angels, and Donnie Thurman, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Holy Angels. During the breakfast we discussed Holy Angels’ legislative agenda for next year. Last year I was proud to have passed legislation that allowed Holy Angels to continue their largest fundraiser, casino nights. I look forward to working with them again in the future.

The second legislative event was hosted by Senior TLC, a community PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) program in Gastonia, NC. State Representative Kelly Hastings and State Senator-Elect Brad Overcash also attended this event. During this meeting, we met with Cathy Kenzig, Executive Director of Senior TLC, Veronica Feduniec, Chief Operating Officer for Kintegra, and Eduardo Quezada, Enrollment Supervisor of Senior TLC. We discussed their legislative agenda. After our discussion, we were given a tour, during which I had the opportunity to play cornhole with some of the senior clients. It was great to see the work being done by Senior TLC and discuss their legislative goals for next year.


As always, if you require assistance, please contact my office, and we will help in any way possible. Please also follow my legislative page on Facebook for the latest news.


It is an honor to represent you and Gaston County in the North Carolina House of Representatives.


All My Best,

John Torbett
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29th Annual Hoyle Historic Homestead Open House



On Saturday, September 10th, Viddia and I attended the 29th annual open house for the Hoyle Historic Homestead. We toured the historic home during the open house and looked at the various exhibit artifacts.


I want to thank Lucy Penegar and the others who have worked so hard to preserve the Hoyle Historic Homestead. Viddia and I always enjoy visiting this historic property. I am proud to have requested and secured $84,500 in appropriations for the Hoyle Historic Homestead in the 2021 and 2022 state budgets.

House Select Committee Meeting in Charlotte


On Monday, September 12th, the House Select Committee on An Education System for North Carolina’s Future met at Harding University High School in Charlotte, NC. After I called the meeting to order, Hugh Hattabaugh, Superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), and Glenn Starnes, Principal of Harding University High School, gave welcoming remarks.


The committee was given a brief presentation about the school district by Dr. Matthew Hayes, Deputy Superintendent of Academics for CMS. Next was a Road to Hire (R2H) presentation from Nikki Keith, R2H Director of Partnerships and Development. R2H is a program partnering with CMS to get young adults on the path to STEM careers. Our third presentation was on the ROC Charlotte. The ROC Charlotte is a joint venture between CMS and Central Piedmont Community College to provide technical construction skills, job training, paid apprenticeships, and permanent jobs for students attending high schools in underserved areas of Mecklenburg County. The presentation was given by Darren Ash, Executive Director of the ROC Charlotte.


Committee members then heard a presentation on Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC). The presentation was given by Dr. Kandi W. Deitemeyer, President of CPCC, and Heather Hill, Provost of CPCC. Closing remarks were then given by Elyse Dashew, Chairperson of the CMS Board of Education. Following the presentations was the public comments period in which members of the public had an opportunity to share their thoughts on a new education system for North Carolina.


I want to thank Harding University High School for hosting our meeting, all of the presenters for speaking to the committee, and the members of the public who spoke during public comments. To view the slide show presentations from the meeting, click here. You can also watch a recording of the meeting by clicking here.

Classical Charter Schools of America Tour


On September 13th, and 14th, Viddia and I attended a tour of several of Classical Charter Schools of America’s campuses. Founded in 1999 by Baker Mitchell, Classical Charter Schools of America (CCS) has four charter schools across North Carolina; CCS of Leland, CCS of Whiteville, CCS of Wilmington, and CCS of Southport. These schools are operated by the Roger Bacon Academy, an educational management company of which Mr. Mitchell is the founder, President, and Director.


On September 13th Viddia and I met with Baker Mitchell at CCS of Leland in Leland, NC. We were given a tour of the school campus. On September 14th, we started our day touring CCS of Southport in Bolivia, NC. We met with Mr. Mitchell, school administrators, and staff during the tour. As we visited classrooms, we listened to students recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin. We also saw students who wrote a story about a book character of their choice, read it as if they were that character, and were dressed up as their character. We then drove to CCS of Wilmington. Upon arriving, we had lunch with CCS Board of Trustees members. We concluded the day by touring the Wilmington campus and visiting classrooms.


I want to thank Mr. Mitchell, the CCS Trustees, and all the administrators and staff for the opportunity to visit CCS’s campuses.

Our Education System: PEPSC


The Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) was created on September 1, 2017, as a part of the passing of Senate Bill 599 (“Excellent Educators for Every Classroom”). The purpose of the commission as an advising body to the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE) is to do the following:


  • Involve stakeholders in establishing high standards for North Carolina educators.
  • Make rule recommendations for the SBE regarding all aspects of preparation, licensure, continuing education, and standards of conduct of public school educators.
  • Exercise its powers and duties independently of - while located administratively under - the SBE.


One of the current topics being discussed by PEPSC is changes to how North Carolina Teachers are licensed, evaluated, and compensated. The commission has been looking at changes to principal preparation requirements as well.

 

PEPSC consists of eighteen members, eight appointed by the NC Senate and eight appointed by the NC House of Representatives. Each legislative body must appoint members for a two-year term who represent specific stakeholders within the world of educator preparation and K-12 public school education. These stakeholders include principals, superintendents, HR directors, teachers, and university education faculty. The remaining two members are the NC Teacher of the Year, who serves one year, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction or their designee. You can see the list of current PEPSC members by clicking here.


The commission meets the second Thursday of each month in the 7th Floor State Board Room of the NC State Education Building (301 N. Wilmington Street; Raleigh, NC). PEPSC’s official meetings are open to the public as a public body. 

 

Information and documents regarding PEPSC meetings are posted on the SBE Meeting website (click here to view). Agendas for meetings are posted under the “UPCOMING” tab 48 hours prior to the meeting. Live audio streaming links, directions to the meeting location, and parking information are located on the same webpage as the meeting information. Minutes and agendas for previous meetings can be found under the “PRIOR” tab.

 

You can stay up to date on upcoming meetings of PEPSC and other public meetings by signing up for alerts from the NC Department of Public Instruction. Click here to sign up for either email or text alerts. Once you create your account, you can select “Meeting and Event Notices” and other topics you wish to follow.

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