Members of the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) heard this week a revised version of the proposed teacher licensure and pay model, called “Pathways To Excellence For Teaching Professionals.” Dr. Van Dempsey, Dean of UNCW’s Watson College of Education and new Chair of PEPSC, began his first meeting in the role by recognizing the efforts of former PEPSC Chair Dr. Patrick Miller, who until the end of August had chaired the commission since its inception in 2017.
Despite earlier reports that PEPSC members might approve the tentative licensure proposal during Thursday’s meeting, Dr. Dempsey told members there was still more work to be done before the plan could be voted on and presented to the State Board of Education. “We will continue to expect and invite feedback from subcommittee members, co-chairs, stakeholders, and stakeholder groups, that will help us to refine this document and make it stronger,” said Dempsey. Various PEPSC subcommittees had been working for months on revising each licensure level of the new proposal, as summarized in Thursday’s presentation.
PEPSC plans to hold its next monthly meeting on October 13, but an official vote on the plan may not occur until a later meeting if more work by PEPSC and its subcommittees is still needed, according to Dempsey. Once the plan clears PEPSC, it will be sent to the State Board of Education for further review and action. School administrators who have ongoing questions or concerns about the proposed plan are encouraged to email pathways.feedback@dpi.nc.gov.
