North Carolina Newspapers

6 TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2007 Out-of-state scholarships could lose state subsidy BY ELIZABETH DEORNELLAS ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR Opponents of a state subsidy that grants in-state tuition rates to out of-state students on full scholarships won a legislative battle this summer, advancing a bill to cut athletic schol arships from the equation. "It didn’t have any sort of public policy justification for me to subsi dize out-of-state athletes when we have so many greater needs in the state,” said Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, a co-sponsor. About 70 percent of the sub sidized scholarships systemwide have been granted to out-of-state athletes. UNC-Chapel Hill is one of the only UNC-system campuses that has used the provision primarily for academic scholarships UNC CH officials said the provision has been key in recruiting of out-of state merit scholars. The bill to eliminate the athletic subsidy passed the N.C. House of Representatives on July 27, less than a week before members adjourned for the August recess. It faces an uphill battle in the N.C. Senate. Debbie Richardson, senior associate athletic director at Appalachian State University, said the subsidy enables the athletic programs of smaller N.C. schools to compete against universities from other states. Olympic sports in particular have benefited, she said, because they can now grant full scholar ships comparable to what univer At Curves there are no classes to miss. Your workout starts when you get here In just 30 minutes you get a total body workout with proven results Amaze yourself.' Over 10,000 locations worldwide. 919-968-3202 919-932-3202 919-928-8560 104D Highway 54 West 1129 V Weaver Dairy Road 143 Chatham Downs Road Carrboro, NC 27510 Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Chapel HUI.NC 27517 weVe i\a your future! UNIVERSITY will be relocating from July 16,2007-June, 2008 while we expand our location in Hanes Hall I Please visit us at our I new location at I Granville Towers South, I 2nd Floor I 125 West Franklin Street Open M-F 8:00am * s:oopm 9199626507 http://careers.unc.edu ucs@unc.edu sities in other states offer. Fully-funded marquee sports also are benefiting, Richardson added, because they are able to increase their percentage of out of-state athletes. “They’re still going to recruit the in-state as well, but the pressure is not on as much,” she said. Richardson said a repeal of the provision that didn’t grandfather athletes could be devastating. If the university suddenly was required to pay out-of-state rates for athletes who had been using the subsidy, she said, some sports could lose their ability to afford new scholarships. “It could kill a recruiting class.” Appalachian State currently has 43 out-of-state athletes on sub sidized scholarships, Richardson said, adding that about $430,000 in additional funding would be needed to keep those athletes for another year if the subsidy were repealed. Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, a Cumberland Democrat who supported the subsidy when it was slipped into the 2005 bud get, said that many legislators are waiting to see the subsidy’s long term effect. “I think the support to leave it there still exists.” Rep. George Cleveland, R- Onslow, originally introduced a bill to repeal the subsidy entirely in May 2006. After that bill failed to gain traction, he joined forces with Harrison in February 2007, but their proposal languished in Out<of-state tuition exemption The provision allows out-of-state students on full scholarships to be counted as N.C. residents for tuition purposes. Number of UNC-system students affected: ► Total: 737 ► 502 (68.1 percent): Athletic ► 235 (31.9 percent): Academic Number of UNC-CH students affected: ► Total: 192 students ► 76 (39.6 percent): Athletic ► 116 (60.4 percent): Academic Cost to the UNC system: ► $8.6 million committee for five months. “It was clear from the debate in committee that people were sup portive of the academic scholarship piece of it,” Harrison said. In order to gamer more support, the bill was narrowed to eliminate the subsidy for athletic scholar ships, which the bill’s sponsors said were harder to justify. Kyle Serba, an assistant athletic director at N.C. Central University, said the bill to repeal subsidized athletic scholarships ignores one key point. “The thing that they’re missing the boat on there is the first part of student-athlete is student,” he said. “They’re students first, and that’s our whole focus at the university system.” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. Cus\m (Jsweh*... will make H a perfect JH impression at UNC /si\ tk evlgiwol UPS* JRM * Yout full-urvice bt4 ttorv www. TheOrigina! Ornament com ffij sunday-Saturday 10arn-6pm BBBjfij jijii| -yflffPf Thursdays 10am-Bpiri M 919.933.3467 HfIHHBHSMHHBHH Cm Mill Mall-Suite A 11* Carrboro, NC LUCK Y ml CHAPEL HILL’S U “t 1800 E. FRANKLIN ST (eastgate shopping center) 9 19.9 6 9.6 9 8 8 * ’’’ SIK) I’PUJCKYMI.COM “ *’ WW W I W(: KY M I COM News Tax falls short of school need BY CATARINA SARAIVA ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR County officials say they strug gled this year to strike a delicate balance between tax increases and the demands of growing school districts. The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved the oper ating budget late in June, reaching a compromise between the needs of tax payers and the school district. With an original tax increase of 3.7 cents per SIOO of property value, leaders at the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school districts feared their needs could not be met. In the final budget, the board increased the property tax to 4.7 cents, giving the proceeds from the 1 cent increase to the schools. The dis tricts also received SBOO,OOO from money originally allotted for coun ty operations, said Donna Coffey, Orange County budget director. “In total, the schools got about $2 million more than the manager had recommended,” Coffey said. She explained that the commis sioners limited the tax rate increase to cover only this year’s incurred debt Experts split on teaching degrees BY ALEX HENDERSON ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR As N.C. legislators struggle to fill statewide teaching shortages, educa tors debate the best way to prepare a teacher for the classroom. The N.C. General Assembly this summer set aside funding to expand and establish scholarships aimed at encouraging N.C. residents to pursue teaching degrees at state universi ties. But many experts question the necessity of such a degree. Lindalyn Kakadelis, director of the N.C. Education Alliance, said the system of teacher certification and licensing draws the definition nar rowly, excluding otherwise suitable individuals who could fill vacancies service at their January retreat “Every year I try and balance the requests of parents with the under standing that there are people on fixed income... that have difficulty paying more taxes,” said Barry Jacobs, vice chairman of the board of commissioners. “Those are the two holes and the budget rotates somewhere in between.” Even with the increase, schools still were pressed for funds. “We cut over $1 million,” said Jamezetta Bedford, chairwoman of the CHCCS Board of Education. Orange County Schools received $1.26 million, about $440,000 short of what they needed, said Ted TViebel, vice chairman of the Orange County Board of Education. Orange County schools’ leaders cut five to six custodial positions, about three of which already were filled, he said. Twelve already-filled permanent substitute positions also were cut, along with 15 percent of central office funds. “And that allowed us to have enough money to cover the... defi cit of what the county commission ers gave us and what we needed to in the state’s public schools. “We have a so-called teacher shortage,” she said. “I don’t believe we have a shortage, I believe we have an HR problem.” Kakadelis said the system pre vents someone holding a doctorate in chemistry —but lacking a teach ing degree from teaching a high school chemistry class. “I think what needs to happen in North Carolina is to open up the field to allow more people into the classroom,” she said. David Thaden, principal of East Chapel Hill High School, said the issue was more complicated. “When it’s all said and done, peo ple who come in with only a content credential and no experience in an instructional realm are shocked at how hard it is to teach,” he said. “The requirement that people have some kind of (education) credential is as much a protection of them as it is a protection of the kids.” The 2007-08 state budget expands funding for the Teaching Fellows program and addresses Voted Best Place to Buy Music Gear in the Triangle 2006 & 2007 I accessory item with this ad. | V Expires®/15/07 j M-F 10-6 • Sat 10-5 • 919.968.4411 Located on Main St. in Carrboro, 'h block past the Wendy's on the right hHBw BwS mn ARCTERYX ■ H ORHrTOAD ' * FOR THOSE WHO WANT THE BEST West Franklin Street back side of University Square I ■HK^ a cing Granville Towers) ■ Chanel Min 929-7626 L.loa7.M=Satl3=6.Stine Qlfjp lath} Star have,” TViebel said. The city schools board of educa tion, which has an additional dis trict tax to fund its budget, elimi nated a few positions that weren’t filled yet. “We did not have to cut any per sonnel,” Bedford said. Both districts did have to priori tize programs. Orange County Schools hired two additional ESL teachers, but wasn’t able to expand the high schools’ elective programs or hire any new technology teachers, TViebel said. City schools’ leaders were able to increase security at schools, but had to make some cuts to the high school academies. The 4.7-cent tax increase puts the total tax rate at 95 cents for Orange County. Including Orange, only seven counties in the state have tax rates of 90 cents or more, as of the 2006-07 fiscal year. “There’s really not much left to cut,” Bedford said. “We have to buy books and toilet paper.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. new scholarships to attract more people to the profession. One scholarship created in the budget, the Millennium Teacher Scholarship, requires participants to teach in a N.C. public school for one year for each year of scholar ship assistance received. “I know a lot of schools find the whole Teaching Fellows route to be too competitive,” Thaden said, adding that the Millennium scholarship will cast the net wider, allowing additional students to participate. Kakadelis said the Millennium Teacher Scholarship, along with others the General Assembly has passed this year, are good ideas packaged poorly. “It’s more government sym bolism over substance,” she said. “Teaching is all about communi cating. I don’t care how many cer tifications you have, if you can’t communicate your message to your audience it does not matter.” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.e<%u.