The Public School Forum's Friday Report

Jnorris

Sujets

• Arts

Informations

• Publié par: ecomejex
• Nombre de lectures: 51
• Langue: Français

Extrait

The Public School Forum’s Friday Report

PDF versions can be found at www.ncforum.org

Volume 13, Issue 41

May 6, 2011

A Coalition of 39 State and Local Organizations Says

―Our Children Are Worth a Penny‖

Standing on the Capitol lawn, 39 statewide and local organizations representing parents,

educators and community groups, called on the General Assembly to stop slashing state

government by leaving the temporary one-cent sales tax in place for two more years.

Wearing badges that said ―Our Children Are Worth a Penny and We’re Already Paying

It,‖ the leaders of a number of the organizations announced that starting next week delegations

will daily be coming to Raleigh to meet with legislators and that dozens of local and regional

events calling on legislators to prevent deep cuts to education and public services will take place

around the state.

Tom Bradshaw, former Chair of the State Chamber and former Mayor of Raleigh, opened

the news conference by saying, ―The business community wants North Carolina to have world-

class schools.

We are not going to get and keep good jobs if we go backwards in education.‖

Debra Horton, Executive Director of the North Carolina Parent Teacher Organization

(PTA) said, ―Polls show that given a choice between deep cuts to our schools, colleges and

services and continuing to pay the one-cent tax we already pay, that people of North Carolina

would keep paying it.

It costs the average taxpayer less than a quarter a day and our kids are

worth much more than that.‖

Joe (Coach) White, the President of the North Carolina School Boards Association and

the former Chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board, added, ―The cuts currently

under consideration are going to force local County Commissioners to either cut local services

dramatically or raise local taxes.

What is being considered is a reverse jobs bill – it will add

thousands to the unemployment rolls of counties across the state and drive up the need for more

services to out-of-work citizens.‖

Representing school/business partnerships and foundations, Martha Vick, the Executive

Director of the Wilson Education Partnership, a business and foundation-supported group

supporting schools, added, ―Our education system and the services our local and state

government provide are among the strongest economic development attractions North Carolina

has to offer.

Counties like Wilson are not going to attract good jobs with a mediocre education

system and inadequate public services.‖