iailii Qlar Mrd
Plan Aims to Entice Teachers
In addition to the Teachers
First Project, anew award
was initiated to honor math
and science teachers.
Bv Lisa Crist
Staff Writer
Educators in Chapel Hill-Carrboro
City Schools will have anew incentive
to remain in the system because of a
program designed to recruit and retain
quality teachers.
The Teachers First Project, officially
launched in a press conference held
Friday bv the Public School Foundation,
seeks to reward outstanding teachers
and provide them with financial sup
port.
PSF President Julia Tucker said the
project would encompass a number of
major goals, including raising funds for
teachers to attend conferences, provid
ing teachers with laptops and free inter
net access, giving teachers personal
financial incentives and honoring dedi
cated educators with public recognition.
“We want to recruit and retain the best
teachers,” she said. “We have a lofty goal,
and the community will support us.”
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Tucker said area businesses con
tributed to the effort by honoring the
Educator Extra Credit Card, which enti
des teachers to discounts. A local hous
ing development, “The Cottages,” was
also working to provide teachers with
affordable housing in Chapel Hill.
“Asa community, we have recog
nized people who have chosen the
(teaching) profession,” she said.
Superintendent Neil Pedersen
expressed great approval of the program
in which, he said, the school system
would be working closely with the PSF
to support area educators. “It is an ambi
tious agenda,” he said. “There is no
question that the key to efficient educa
tion programming is the teachers.”
In conjunction with the launching of
the Teachers First Program, anew dis
trict award was announced to encourage
young teachers in the areas of mathe
matics and science.
The Burton Stuart Teaching Chair for
Promising Teachers in Mathematics or
Science was established by Wayne
Stuart, who graduated from Chapel Hill
High School in 1983, in honor of his
father Burton “Bud” Stuart, who has
been a renowned teacher at the school
since 1972.
The younger Stuart cited several rea
sons for establishing the chair. “I had an
opportunity to give something back to
the community I grew up in, give back
to teaching and to honor my father,” he
said. “I would like to expand teacher
salaries to show we value teachers as a
community.”
Bud Stuart said he was greatly hon
ored to receive the award and was
pleased that his son desired to give back
to the community. “I was completely
floored when Wayne came up with
this,” he said. “I could not receive a
more meaningful honor.”
Stuart said the chair, given to promis
ing math and science teachers for a
three-year period, would alternate
between recipients at Chapel Hill High
School and East Chapel Hill High
School and was designed to draw new
educators into the school system by
allowing younger teachers to learn from
more experienced colleagues.
“What we really need to do is to
encourage young people to come to
Chapel Hill and stay,” he said. “I’ve
been in heaven in Chapel Hill. I’ve
taught many other places, and there’s
nowhere else I’d be nearly as happy.”
The City Editor can be reached
at citydesk@unc.edu.
News
Legislators Want Session
To Fight Tobacco Lawsuit
By Gavin Off
Staff Writer
Legislators are hoping Gov. Jim Hunt
calls a special session to fight a possible
tobacco bond that could damage the
state’s economy.
A class-action lawsuit filed last week
by Florida smokers holds tobacco com
panies responsible for hundreds of bil
lions of dollars in damages. Tobacco
companies have complained that result
ing appeals could force them into bank
ruptcy, crippling the state’s economy.
To help N.C. tobacco companies,
legislators want to put a cap on the
appeals the tobacco companies would
have to pay if they are found liable for
damages in the lawsuit. Florida, on the
other hand, wants an unlimited cap.
Rep. Rex Baker, R-Alleghany, said
the state needed a special session to
review this issue. He said the economic
future of North Carolina was in jeop
ardy. “It would be a devastating blow,”
Baker said. “I believe there is over a bil
lion dollars in an agricultural point of
view (involved with the proposal).
There’s also over a thousand people
employed in the business.”
Baker also said that once Hunt called
the session, the legislators could fight in
unison for their state. He said legislators
would not be divided along party lines.
“I see this as an issue between the
anti-tobacco extremists and trial lawyers
and the ordinary people interested in
North Carolina,” he said.
The lawsuit deals yet another dam
aging blow to the already faltering
tobacco industry that since November
1998 - when the industry was ordered
to dispense $206 billion to smokers
nationwide - has been gasping for
breath.
Thad Boggs, Hunt’s press secretary,
said that because the bond had enor
mous implications for the state, Hunt
wanted to assess each side of the debate
before calling a special session.
“He’s talking to advocates of both
sides of the issue,” Boggs said. “He has
n’t made a decision yet.”
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Boggs said the controversial nature of
tobacco-related issues prompted the
governor to be cautious in his decision
to call a special session.
While Boggs said the health risks of
tobacco products warranted public con
cern and new safety measures, the well
being of tobacco farmers and the state’s
economy also needed protection. “It’s
an issue that you’ll find people have a
lot of different opinions on,” he said.
Rep. John Bridgeman, D-Gaston,
said the issue demanded the immediate
attention of the state and the fact that
Hunt was even considering a special ses
sion showed the gravity of the situation.
Danny Lineberry, spokesman for
House Speaker Jim Black, D-
Mecklenburg, said the issue’s effects
could be more far-reaching than tobac
co companies alone. “You’re talking
about thousands of jobs. It would be
devastating to the state’s economy.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
5