February 2, 2001

10-digit dialing to begin March 15 in Charlotte

State reclassifies economic rankings of 11 counties 
Alexander, Dare, Davidson, Macon, Rutherford and Sampson counties are moving up in the state's economic development incentives tier ranking system. Duplin, Gaston, Person, Stokes and Yadkin counties are moving down, the state Commerce Department said in releasing its annual adjustment to rankings that determine the level of tax credits available in each county for creating new jobs, worker training, and investment in machinery and equipment. The changes are based on an annual evaluation of population growth, unemployment rate and per capita income. Each year the Commerce Department evaluates counties and assigns a tier designation ranking from one to five, with one as the most economically distressed and five as the least. In the 2001 evaluations, six counties whose economies improved moved up one tier level, while five counties that encountered problems moved down one level.  All other counties remained at their 2000 tier level. See which tier your county is in.

School violence decreases third year in a row
The number of incidents of school violence dropped 4.1 percent in the 1999-2000 school year from the previous year, the state Department of Public Instruction said in a report. The total number of violent acts decreased to 5.98 acts per 1,000 students, down from 6.237 in 1998-99 and 6.343 in 1997-98. Decreases were seen in several categories: Possession of a firearm decreased by 37 percent, from 144 incidents to 87. Sexual assault decreased 18 percent from 233 to 190 incidents. Assault with an injury decreased 18 percent from 325 incidents to 267. Unarmed robbery was down 16 percent from 94 to 79 incidents. Two of the most common offenses also decreased. These two categories, along with possession of a controlled substance, make up the majority of all acts reported. Possession of a weapon dropped by 7 percent from 2,923 to 2,726. Assault on personnel also decreased by 7 percent from 1,181 incidents to 1,097. Possession of a controlled substance was one of only three incidents to increase, going up by 5 percent from 2,389 to 2,497. The number of sexual offenses increased 23 percent from 86 to 106 incidents reported. Assault with a weapon went up 6 percent from 146 to 155. Elementary and middle schools showed the most improvements overall. School violence was down by 12.48 percent in K-5 schools. Middle schools, serving grades 6-8, showed a 5.17 percent decrease. High schools, however, increased overall by 4.72 percent.

Electric deregulation looks dead for this year
The Study Commission on the Future of Electric Service in N.C., charged by the legislature with recommending if and how to deregulate electric utilities, said the state should carefully evaluate the experience of states that have deregulated electric service before taking any action. "We're not going forward; we're not going backward; we're treading water," said Sen. David Hoyle (D-Gaston), the Senate co-chairman, said at a press conference. "I believe the prudent course for us is to learn and profit from others' mistakes and do what's right for North Carolina." Hoyle and others said they doubt the General Assembly will take any action this year, particularly in light of the extreme problems California has had with deregulation. House co-chair Rep. Ronnie Smith (D-Carteret), said some of the pressure from Washington to deregulate has lessened, and "Congress is rethinking its position." 

State receives high marks for teaching standards
North Carolina received the highest score of any state for Improving Teacher Quality, according to Education Week's fifth annual 50-state report card on public education. A letter grade of B+ was the highest grade given to any state in this category, and only four states earned Bs of any type on the measure of Improving Teacher Quality. North Carolina also earned a B+ on Standards and Accountability, a score that puts the state in a tie for fifth place in the nation. School climate continued to be the category with the lowest scores for all states. North Carolina received a D- in the school climate category. Connecticut was the only state to earn anything higher than a C, with a B- grade. Half the states earned a D or F grade in this category, and 14 did not receive a grade because they did not participate in data collection in this category. Several factors are considered in determining this score including class size, surveys of eighth graders, and the availability of open enrollment programs. In the area of Resources, two grades were awarded for each state. North Carolina received a C- for the Adequacy of Resources, based in part on education spending per student. West Virginia is in the top spot and earned an A in this category with spending totaling $8,322. North Carolina's reported spending per student in 1999 was $5,934. In terms of the Equity of Resources, North Carolina earned a C. Meanwhile, the State Board of Education announced that North Carolina's student dropout rate for the 1999-2000 school year was 4.34 percent per year in grades 7-12, a slight decrease from the rate in 1998-99, 4.6 percent.

Panel recommends hikes in gas tax, motor vehicle fees 
A legislative panel voted 9-2, with two abstentions, to recommend a two-cent increase in the state tax on gasoline and increases in several fees to raise $540 million in revenue the panel says is badly needed to address a backlog of highway maintenance and to finance transit programs. However, legislative leaders say they doubt tax hikes of any kind will pass this year. The fuel-tax increase would raise $100 million for road maintenance and transit programs. Other proposals include raising the annual vehicle-registration fee from $20 to $36; increasing driver's license costs from $12.50 for a five-year renewal to $15; a 23 percent increase in truck license fees and international registration fees to bring in $45 million; raising the highway-use tax on vehicle purchases from 3 percent to 3.5 percent, raising $100 million; and eliminating a trade-in allowance on car purchases that would bring in $150 million.


Jobless rate rises for sixth straight month
Unemployment in North Carolina rose to 3.8 percent 4.0 percent in December, the first time it's been that high in four years, the Employment Security Commission said. Unemployment in the state, which now matches the national average, has been rising steadily since last July, when it was 3.2 percent. But the economy here remains strong, said ESC Chairman Raymond Goodman. North Carolina’s labor force was estimated at 3,989,900 in December. Jobless rates in major metro areas:

Asheville, 2.4 percent, down from 2.5 percent
Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock Hill, NC/SC, 3.3 percent, down from 3.4 percent
Fayetteville, 3.7 percent, down from 4.3 percent
Goldsboro, 3.7 percent, down from 3.9 percent
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, 2.8 percent, down from 3.0 percent
Greenville, 4.3 percent, down from 4.5 percent
Hickory/Morganton/Lenoir, 2.8 percent, unchanged
Jacksonville, 3.6 percent, unchanged
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, 1.6 percent, down from 1.7 percent
Rocky Mount, 5.7 percent, down from 6.3 percent
Wilmington, 3.8 percent, unchanged


Three new charter schools approved
The State Board of Education on Thursday approved three new charter schools and discussed renewing the charters of 27 existing schools. This action brings the total number of charter schools in North Carolina to 97. The board plans to act on three additional new charter schools next month after receiving more information from the Charter Schools Advisory Committee. The state board, which is chaired by NCCBI President Phil Kirk, deviated from the Advisory Committee’s recommendations at its meeting. One of the schools, Gaston College Preparatory, had been recommended for approval this month. The other two schools were in the top 10 applications reviewed by the Advisory Committee but were not in the six the committee had recommended for action this month. Board members selected the three in part because they would be the first charter schools in their respective counties. The three new charter schools receiving final board approval to begin operation in 2001-02 are: Gaston College Preparatory in Northampton County, which will focus on preparing students for college; New Dimensions School in Burke County, where the educational focus will be child-centered learning based on children’s interests; and A Child's Garden School in Franklin County, where the focus will be on child-centered instruction using personal education plans. Of the 29 charter schools that began operating in 1997, the Charter School Advisory Committee recommended that 27 be renewed. Two charter schools have had their charters revoked -- LIFT Academy in Forsyth County and Right Step Academy in Pitt County. The charter school law, enacted in 1996, is intended to foster creative approaches to education by relieving these schools from many state regulations and requirements. Charter schools are public schools, offered to parents as one choice for their children’s education. Charters are granted by the State Board of Education and are in effect for five years. Since 1997, 113 charters have received approval. Nineteen schools are no longer operating either because they did not accept the charter (2), they voluntarily relinquished their charter (12), or they had their charter revoked (5).


N.C. Zoo Society sets fundraising record
A new record has again been set for contributions to the North Carolina Zoological Society. Donors directly gave more than $2.8 million last year, an increase of more than $500,000 over 1999. After membership fees and other society revenues are balanced by all expenses, nearly $3,240,000 was netted for the zoo in 2000. "That net is 14 percent above 1999, and up 172 percent and $2 million in five years, thanks to our membership and our corporate and foundation friends," said Zoo Society Executive Director Russ Williams. This net figure has set a record on behalf of the state zoo each of the last 14 years. The society made grants totaling about $2,234,000 to the zoo in 2000.

County tier rankings for 2001

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