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Page 4A-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Thursday, May 21, 1992
a ll hl ll lA lS Se lr
a PG Rl ia
dd le A NAG NA pe 8
BOB McRAE
Superintendent
Kings Mountain Schools
Education
key issue
The short session of the North Carolina General
Assembly convenes on May 26. While the agenda for
this year is not as lengthy as in 1991, there still are im-
portant issues to be discussed which will effect the
public schools. I hope you will monitor the proceed-
ings and let your representatives hear from you when
needed.
In today's column I will identify several of the key
issues to be debated which affect education. Hopefully,
this review will enable you to keep better informed as
the session proceeds.
Any discussion of this year's legislative session
must begin with a look at the current revenue picture.
I'm sure you remember the critical shortfall of funds
last year which resulted in both revenue producing
measures and decreases in spending commitments.
The public schools, Kings Mountain included, really
had to tighten their belts to make ends meet. The rev-
enue picture for 1992 is better but not good in terms of
growth,
Current projections indicate there will be less that
$100 million available for new programs this year.
While that may seem like a large figure, its size
shrinks when you realize that it takes $54 million to
raise salaries of state employees by 1%. Since the third
year of implementation of the new teacher salary scale
was postponed in 1992, there has been much hope that
it could be funded this year. However, that would re-
quire a 6% increase on the average.
While the economy is showing signs of recovery,
the potential for significant additional funds for educa-
tion is limited, and it appears that will be the case for
some years to come. If new sources of revenue are to
be pursued so that salaries can be improved, legislators
need to hear that citizens are willing to provide the
funds to do so.
There is some talk about a statewide bond issue to
fund education facilities. Such a bond would not pro-
duce an amount of money for us as large as our local
bond of a few years ago but could allow us over $1
million to enhance our facility program. With such
funds we could continue to address facility needs
which exist on each of our seven campuses. The pro-
posed amount of such a statewide bond would proba-
bly be limited to the maximum figure that could be fi-
nanced and not require a tax increase.
There are also important non-monetary education is-
sues on the agenda for this session. One of the most in-
teresting is the governance issue. Lhe position of state
superintendent of public instruction has always been
an elective position. One piece of legislation being
considered would make it an appointive position,
named by the State Board of Education. Supporters of
this legislation contend that appointment is the best
way to assure that a qualified person serves in this
role. Another bill being considered this session would
keep this office elective but make the state superinten-
dent the chairman of the State Board of Education,
giving that position more authority than is currently
the case. The governance issue seems to be discussed
most years but changes have been slow. Whether that
will change is unknown but it deserves your attention
this session.
Another issue not related to budget which may be
discussed in the upcoming session relates to a variety
of bills which center around the issues of dropouts/at-
risk children/school discipline. Most interesting may
be the discussions about violence and weapons in
schools, the possibility of requiring parents to assist in
the disciplining of their children at school, and the
possibility of limiting the number of hours that stu-
dents may work after school. Legislation in any of
these areas could substantially change the current situ-
ation.
As the session develops daily reports on legislative
activity will be available through the media. I want to
encourage you to follow the education issues closely
and to communicate with our representatives when it
is important to do so. I have worked with them enough
to know that they value the opinion of the citizens
back home and are willing to listen. I think it is impor-
tant that they know when people are willing to step
forward for public education in the state, and I hope
that the recent indications that citizens are willing to
work for better school continue to materialize. Keep
up with the activity of the General Assembly. The fu-
ture of our children depends on our attention.
Americans Agree —
Employers Have
0 Right To:
=
re
Monitor personal telephone conversations 81%! GF
employee of rival firm
BR
to quit smoking
Forbid an employee /applicant from dating
Refuse to hire an overweight person
Refuse to hire someone who drinks
alcoholic beverages outside of work
Require an employee, applicant
Require an employee/ applicant
to quit a second job
86%
Source: National Consumers League — March 1992
© 1992, PM Editorial Services
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gs Mountain Herald: P.O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086
Back issues, one month or pider when available, are 20¢ pes copy.
Twain had the right idea
"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were
a member of congress. But I repeat myself." Mark
Twain's timeless quote appears to be especially apt for
the current collection of misfits in Washington.
I'm talking about that same old gang of spendthrifts
that always shows up to throw taxpayer money at any
real or imagined urban problem that comes down the
pike.
I guess it's Los Angeles’ turn again. They practically
destroyed their city in 1965 and now they've done it
again.
Who will pay to rebuild it? You and I, just as we did
before.
Racism is deplorable and I believe most right-think-
ing Americans are fair-minded. Those loudmouths
who constantly equate being white with being racist
are wrong. I'm not saying there isn't a race problem i in
this country. Nobody should be that naive. I am saying.
that the burning of L.A. was not rooted in racism.’
Neither was it caused by hunger, sub-standard housing,
poverty, or any of those terms employed by the Jesse
Jacksons of the world. Nor was it a result of 60's social
programs, as Marlin Fitzwater would have you be-
lieve.
I saw the looters, arsonists and thugs on television
and it seems to me everybody was represented. There
were blacks, whites, Hispanics and orientals.
The fact is, a group of common lawbreakers took
advantage of a situation.
The Rodney King case was reprehensible. It is be-
yond me how a jury could find the L.A. policemen
completely innocent in view of the famous video tape
that clearly shows excessive use of force, if nothing
else. The bad verdict, however, is not a reason to burn,
pillage and murder.
I certainly don't profess to have all the answers, but
I can tell you if our elected officials try to apply a huge
taxpayer-funded band-aid to Los Angeles, many of
them will find themselves out of work. I believe there
is a term-limit throw-the-rascals-out mood among the
electorate these days.
Voters are fed up with with the current crop of
politicians from city hall to the white house. The re-
cent Gastonia city council election is the best example
I can think of.
Gastonia's voters tied a can to the entire city council
with the exception of the mayor and one council mem-
ber.
The losers are crying the blues. I've not heard such
sour grapes in years. Some of the comments were:
"I hope the voters are as happy in three months as
they are now."
"I can't believe they elected (use any newly-elected
member's name).
"None of them have any experience!"
What those crybabies don't understand is that the
SIDEWALK SURVEY
Jim
Heffner
Columnist
people were weary of the unfeeling treatment dished
out by the defeated members for the past several years.
They don't understand that the people didn't want an
airport built at Pasour Mountain. I'm not even sure.
: Gastonia needs a new airport.
. Experience? The losers didn't have experience when
they were elected either. There is no school for city
council members.
The losers don't comprehend that citizens were tired
of their complaints falling on deaf ears. When a con-
troversial issue arose, the council went into the neigh-
borhood to hold their next meeting. They made a great
show of "listening to the people,” but, in every case,
their minds were already made up.
I attended one of those meetings and correctly pre-
dizted the exact vote count before it was taken. The
council sat, not unlike a line of mute toads, and lis-
tened to a parade of citizens who presented reams of
information and arguments as to why the Hoffman
Road connector shouldn't be built. As soon as the
meeting ended a vote was taken and the people lost
again.
The council could have at least taken a few days to
study all the new information.
Such is life I guess.
I really get a kick out of watching people running
for public office, on all levels. Some of the comment is
hilarious.
I find I am unable to look at, or listen to, Ross Perot
without laughing. Every issue put forth brings the
same comment from him: "I consider that the number
one priority." He's almost a caricature of himself,
Before you Perot supporters start lambasting me, I
signed the petition to get him on the ballot. I did it to
add humor to the staid election process. I'm afraid,
however, if I tried to place my mark beside his name,
I'd lapse into convulsions and they'd have to cart me
off to the hospital.
If you think Perot is a saint, and sent forth by God to
save the country, talk to somebody who has worked for
one of his companies.
Oh well, Mark Twain said something else appropri-
ate for the times: "Man is the only animal that blushes-
-or needs to."
Your Right To Say It
We need change
To the editor:
Guess what? Our state legislators -- Rep. Jack Hunt |
(D-Cleveland), Rep. Edith Lutz (D-Cleveland), and
Rep. Bill Withrow (D-Rutherford) -- received some of
the lowest ratings by the North Carolina Tax Payers
Union this past week. The ratings are based on how
the legislators vote concerning tax increases and gov-
ernment spending. The ratings show that our three
members of the House all supported the tax increases
that we are paying this year.
This should come as no surprise since |
Representative Bill Withrow has advocated a $3.00 a
gallon gas tax. That's right, $3.00 a gallon gas tax, in
order to raise revenue and protect the environment. He
feels that it would protect the environment by reducing
the amount of traffic on the roads. Now there's a plan
that makes sense! I wonder how he travels back and
forth to Raleigh. While this raises many questions
about Rep. Withrow and his strange ideas, it also pro-
vides enough justification to get rid of him in
November.
As a life-long Democrat, I am completely embar-
rassed by and disappointed in these three Democratic
legislators. However, they are "representing" the folks
of this area. Or are they? Do they enjoy paying more
taxes while getting less for your money? Do you sup-
port the idea of additional taxes such as Withrow's cre-
ative little gas tax that he dreams about someday im-
posing? Do you feel that these "representatives"
deserve the money that they receive courtesy of our
tax dollars? If so, the fine. Vote for them in November.
If, however, you are sick of business as usual from ca-
reer politicians who have lost touch with the voters
and are only concerned with their personal agendas,
then in November let's send them packing. Maybe if
they’ re on the paying end of these taxes instead of the
raising and levying end, they will change their tunes. If
we are truly tired of business as usual, then we need to
clean out the rat's next in the State House.
Sincerely,
James Falls
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Hand-delivered letters will not be published.
Mail letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 769, things
Mountain, NC 28086.
SCREEN TEST
Each horizontal and vertical row in the grid below contains the
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When you've found 12 titles, read the leftover letters to find a
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Who should the Charlotte Hornets choose in the NBA draft?
Eddie Sparks
| think they'll take the
guy from Georgetown.
He can run the flour,
shot block and
rebound.
Oscar Ortega
Mourning. He's good.
Lewis Nanfz
Mouining. They won't get
Shaquille because they
don't have first draft pick.
Steve Moore
Mourning. They need a
shot blocker.
Randy Williams
Mourning. He's the next
best after Shaquille
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