How Tea Party tax cuts are turning Kansas into a smoking ruin

[AAAintheBeltway]

Actually even 53% of the registered Democrats in the state support showing a picture ID for voting. Other portions of the changes in voting laws have generated controversy.

It is hard to state that the state legislature is taking a "a series of common sense steps" when even the Chamber of Commerce has urged Republicans to vote against them. Time to talk business... Let's talk about the elimination of the film tax credit in our state which turned the movie industry in Wilmington from a $1B industry to zero overnight. Let's talk how every large employer who committed moving manufacturing to our state has now told NC "No, thanks". Let's talk about how these employers pointed to the de-funding of the technical college and university system as one of the primary reasons for backing out. The fiasco list from a business perspective is endless. It is a complete disaster for a state which is working to be a high tech center based on IT, software, pharma, banking, and high-tech manufacturing jobs.

Seems a bit overstated. Crony capitalism always has plenty of vocal defenders. Take the Ex-Im Bank. It benefits a handful of companies. Why should the government be subsidizing them? NC is no longer subsidizing Hollywood? Oh no, boo hoo.

The Chamber of Commerce has zero credibilty with me since they started pushing amnesty.

You make it sound like the community college system has been ended. i know for a fact it hasn't.

NC has been a big spending, high tax state for way too long. Cutting back a bit is not going to be a disaster, but you are typical of the big government, crony capitalists who make it sould like the last dollar pissed away on "education" or whatever is the only one spent on it.

 

[AAAintheBeltway]

Here is part 2....

You teach in the leading public STEM school in the state that is used as a model across the U.S. for proper middle-grades STEM education. Each student is supposed to have a laptop at their desk to perform the on-line curriculum.

The Republican legislature cut all money for funding school supplies. Now none of your rising sixth graders have laptops. How do you teach the state mandated on-line curriculum?

So much for keeping up with K-12 education systems outside the U.S.

Isn't school funding a local responsibility? Maybe they should stop spending so much on bussing for racial balance and divert some of that money to more productive uses, but of course that won't fly with you libs. All the rich libs I know send their kids to private school anyway and probably buy their own laptops. They could care less about public schools. It's only about the unions and trying to make republicans and particularly the Tea party look bad.

 

[Ricter]

Seems a bit overstated... NC has been a big spending, high tax state for way too long.

 

[gwb-trading]

Isn't school funding a local responsibility? Maybe they should stop spending so much on bussing for racial balance and divert some of that money to more productive uses, but of course that won't fly with you libs. All the rich libs I know send their kids to private school anyway and probably buy their own laptops. They could care less about public schools. It's only about the unions and trying to make republicans and particularly the Tea party look bad.

First, there are no public sector unions in North Carolina. From a national perspective pay for teachers ranked 46th in the nation in 2013/2014. This coming year it will rank 49th. - while our academic test results rank at 26th. All the surrounding states have starting teaching salaries that are $10K more than North Carolina. A starting teacher in South Carolina earns more than a 17 year veteran teacher in North Carolina.

Funding of teacher salaries and text books is a STATE responsibility in North Carolina. I wish we had local school districts where the residents could vote locally to pass a school budget with associated taxes each year. I will note that the states with locally controlled school districts rank in the top 25 states in education in the U.S., while the states with state-controlled K-12 education funding rank in the bottom.

 

[Ricter]

First, there are no public sector unions in North Carolina. From a national perspective pay for teachers ranked 46th in the nation in 2013/2014. This coming year it will rank 49th. - while our academic test results rank at 26th. All the surrounding states have starting teaching salaries that are $10K more than North Carolina. A starting teacher in South Carolina earns more than a 17 year veteran teacher in North Carolina.

Funding of teacher salaries and text books is a STATE responsibility in North Carolina. I wish we had local school districts where the residents could vote locally to pass a school budget with associated taxes each year. I will note that the states with locally controlled school districts rank in the top 25 states in education in the U.S., while the states with state-controlled K-12 education funding rank in the bottom.

There's your crazy spending, 49th!

 

[dbphoenix]

First, there are no public sector unions in North Carolina. From a national perspective pay for teachers ranked 46th in the nation in 2013/2014. This coming year it will rank 49th. - while our academic test results rank at 26th. All the surrounding states have starting teaching salaries that are $10K more than North Carolina. A starting teacher in South Carolina earns more than a 17 year veteran teacher in North Carolina.

Funding of teacher salaries and text books is a STATE responsibility in North Carolina. I wish we had local school districts where the residents could vote locally to pass a school budget with associated taxes each year. I will note that the states with locally controlled school districts rank in the top 25 states in education in the U.S., while the states with state-controlled K-12 education funding rank in the bottom.

Whether the funding is state or local, however, may not be the determining variable. Don't be disappointed if you get local funding and nothing changes.

 

[gwb-trading]

Whether the funding is state or local, however, may not be the determining variable. Don't be disappointed if you get local funding and nothing changes.

States which have local school districts where the citizens vote each year on a school budget (and associated taxes) have a huge advantage over state controlled school systems. The ability of the local community to set teacher's salaries, construction spending, and operational expenses (books, etc.) allows the local citizens to have a strong voice in the quality of education.

There is a reason that states that utilize local school districts consistently rank at the top of K-12 education in the U.S., and states with state-controlled systems rank at the bottom. Pushing funding decisions down to the local level is the most significant administrative factor impacting educational results in the U.S.

 

[Ricter]

States which have local school districts where the citizens vote each year on a school budget (and associated taxes) have a huge advantage over state controlled school systems. The ability of the local community to set teacher's salaries, construction spending, and operational expenses (books, etc.) allows the local citizens to have a strong voice in the quality of education.

There is a reason that states that utilize local school districts consistently rank at the top of K-12 education in the U.S., and states with state-controlled systems rank at the bottom. Pushing funding decisions down to the local level is the most significant administrative factor impacting educational results in the U.S.

A luxury of wealthier locales no doubt.

 

[dbphoenix]

States which have local school districts where the citizens vote each year on a school budget (and associated taxes) have a huge advantage over state controlled school systems. The ability of the local community to set teacher's salaries, construction spending, and operational expenses (books, etc.) allows the local citizens to have a strong voice in the quality of education.

There is a reason that states that utilize local school districts consistently rank at the top of K-12 education in the U.S., and states with state-controlled systems rank at the bottom. Pushing funding decisions down to the local level is the most significant administrative factor impacting educational results in the U.S.

And you may be right. And FWIW I agree with you. However, it's important to remember that there are other important variables beyond local vs state/federal control. The federal govt, for example, pours tons of money into education, but the results are less than encouraging. The schools get worse and worse. The solution? More money. But the amount of money is of less importance than how it's spent. And you'd be astonished at how federal money is spent.

Therefore, local control is arguably important. But of equal importance is how that control is exercised.

 

[Lucrum]

...The federal govt, for example, pours tons of money into education, but the results are less than encouraging...

Based on 11th grade test scores the "results" are zero. And untold billions utterly wasted.