Meeting |
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Report |
Meeting |
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Report |
August 27, 2002 |
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Phil Kirk, North Carolina State Board of Education Phil Kirk has been the Chairperson of the North Carolina Board of Education since 1997 and is also the President and Secretary of the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry (NCCBI). Mr. Kirk offered his perspective on the state of education in North Carolina. That perspective comes in part from his visiting all of the state’s 117 school systems. According to Mr. Kirk, our colleges and universities are internationally recognized. Our 59 community colleges are outstanding. The weak link in the past has been our K-12 system. Progress started seven years ago with the development of the ABC’s, an accountability program, and has continued to the present. Our SAT scores moved up six points while the national SAT scores were flat. This year we passed the District of Columbia, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, and Florida in SAT rankings. We are now only 22 points behind the national average and in fact, lead the southeast. While we do compare SAT scores from state to state, those comparisons can be misleading. For example, in North Carolina, 67% of high school students take the SAT, while in Mississippi, only 4% take the exam. In other comparisons, Mr. Kirk explained that we came out on top. North Carolina’s student testing program ranked first in the country, according to a study by The Princeton Review. Texas ranked second, and New York third in the report. Education Week, the trade journal of record in the education community, ranked North Carolina first in the nation in 2002 for the state’s efforts to improve teacher quality. This is the second year in a row for this honor. The National Assessment of Educational Progress shows that North Carolina’s students are performing at or above regional and national levels in reading, mathematics, science, and writing. Mr. Kirk said that we are the first state to require students to pass a computer test to graduate and the state soon will require an exit exam to graduate. While we have good news to share as a state, we also have a long way to go, according to Kirk. There is too large a gap between blacks and whites. We have had an increase of 60,000 in our Hispanic student population. Forty percent of our teachers don’t work more than five years in our school systems. We still have our legislators micro-managing our schools. Mr. Kirk closed with his business hat on. Speaking as the President of NCCBI, Kirk said we have good news and bad news. North Carolina is the sixth most visited state in the country. On the other hand, we have the highest corporate taxes in the southeast. His business groups’ highest priority is to place a limit on how long the legislature can meet. We have too many retired people in the legislature, almost 50%. In order to recruit more business people, lawyers and educators to the legislature, we need to have shorter sessions. Guests & Visitors - Lee Morris; Health & Happiness - Worth Williamson; Invocation - Andy Calhoun; Music - Chuck Lineberry. Head Table: Ken Harris, Hope Lanier, John Lassiter, Ray Killian, Phil Volponi.* * * |
CHARLIE IBACH celebrates 50 years membership in the Charlotte Rotary.
* * * Announcements Ø We wish Health and Happiness to Pete Larson as he recuperates at home, and to Bill Loftin’s wife, Martha Jane. Our prayers are with you. Ø We extend a warm Rotary welcome to new members Billy King, BellSouth and Steve Carter, Wachovia Corporation. Ø Excellence in Management Award nominations are to be sent to the Charlotte Chamber by September 6. If you need an application, please call the Rotary Office. Ø Membership and Foundation Seminar to be held September 7 at the City Club, Gastonia, NC. 8:45 AM to Noon. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about Rotary. Ø Rotary Foundation Banquet to be held November 16 at the Renaissance Hotel. Hold the date! Ø District Assembly to be held 4/3/03 at the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville. Ø District Conference to be held 4/4/03 – 4/6/03 at the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville. * * * PUBLIC SAFETY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS At the September 10, 2002 meeting of Charlotte Rotary, our program will be a memorial to the tragedies of 9/11/01 and the volunteer efforts of our public safety community both in New York and at home in Charlotte. Police Chief Darrel Stephens and Fire Chief Luther Fincher will deliver the luncheon program with members of their force that volunteered in New York City. As a lasting tribute to those who selflessly serve to protect our communities we will create a new scholarship fund for our club recognizing a son or daughter of both a police officer and fire fighter who is planning a career in public safety through a college scholarship. We will raise funds at our September 10, 2002 meeting at the conclusion of the formal program. A club committee will work with the Foundation for the Carolinas to manage the fund and the annual awards. The selected students would be recognized each year at the meeting falling closest to the 9/11 anniversary, with the first scholarships to be awarded in the fall of 2003. * * * |
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