Attention North Carolina Advocates

The Montessori Association of North Carolina (MANC) has been working closely with parents, teachers and legislators to create a pathway to state teacher licensure in NC. We are asking everyone whose state senator is on the Senate Appropriations Committee to reach out and ask them to support the inclusion of the Montessori teacher pathway that has already been added to the House Appropriations Act (H259) in the Senate appropriations bill, which is currently being drafted.

You can use the search engine above to identify your NC senator (click here to see if they are on the Appropriations Committee) and find their contact information. The search will list all of your top state government officials. Scroll down toward the bottom of the list to find your senator. Click on Contact to pull up their phone and email information.

Below you will find a call script template and an email template to use in contacting your senator. Calling is more impactful than email, so please call if possible. You can adapt the script to talk about why having a pathway to teacher licensure is important to you and your community. Be sure when you call and introduce yourself that you say your name, where you live, and that you are a constituent of the senator. Only call your own senator!

Phone Call Script 

Hello, 

My name is ________ and I am a constituent of Senator X from (town/city) . I am a (parent/educator/teacher etc) calling to ask that the provision for Montessori teacher licensure in the House Appropriations Act (H259, Amendment 6A) be included in the Senate appropriations bill as well. It establishes a pathway for North Carolina teachers with a  bachelors degree and a Montessori teaching credential, who have passed required state exams, to be licensed to teach in public Montessori classrooms in our state. 

Many NC parents seek the benefits of a Montessori education for their children.This no-cost provision will ensure the quality of North Carolina’s public Montessori  schools, while at the same time helping to relieve the current teacher shortage.

Additional Suggestions to Include:

Provide more background on who you are (parent, teacher, principal, teacher educator), list any other relevant experience, and why this bill is important to you.

• My child is a student at xyz public Montessori school. It’s the perfect learning environment for her and it’s critical that she have a highly qualified teacher, which is one with a Montessori credential.
• I’m a Montessori teacher and can attest to how vital it is to have a Montessori credentialed teacher in a Montessori classroom.

Explain how this bill specifically impacts you/your community.

Thank you,

Email Template 

Subject: No cost Appropriations bill request

Greetings XXXXX, 

My name is ________ and I am a constituent of Senator X (from town/city).. I  am a (parent/educator/teacher etc) calling to ask that  the provision for Montessori teacher licensure in the House Appropriations Act (H259, Amendment 6A) be included in the Senate appropriations bill.  It establishes a pathway for North Carolina teachers with a bachelors degree and a Montessori teaching credential, who have passed required state exams, to be licensed to teach in public Montessori classrooms in our state. 

Many NC parents seek the benefits of a Montessori education for their children. This no-cost provision will ensure the quality of North Carolina’s public Montessori  schools, while at the same time helping to relieve the current teacher shortage.

Thank you,

Additional Suggestions to Include:

Provide more background on who you are (parent, teacher, principal, teacher educator), list any other relevant experience, and why this bill is important to you.

Examples:

• My child is a student at xyz public Montessori school. It’s the perfect learning environment for her and it’s critical that she have a highly qualified teacher, which is one with a Montessori credential.
• I’m a Montessori teacher and can attest to how vital it is to have a Montessori credentialed teacher in a Montessori classroom.

Explain how this bill specifically impacts you/your community.