Business Leaders Applaud Gains in Education

North Carolina’s business community will continue to be one of the driving forces behind the “First in America by 2010” education initiative, according to NCCBI President Phil Kirk and Gov. James B. Hunt Jr.

The ambitious goal of raising student performance levels to the top of national rankings was set forth by Hunt during his 1999 State of the State address to the General Assembly. Since then, the governor has asked NCCBI’s executive committee to serve as the business advisors to the initiative, and the committee members unanimously agreed.  

Photo caption: NCCBI Chairman Mac Everett presents a plaque to Gov. Jim to thank him for his leadership in improving the public schools.

“Working for better public schools in North Carolina continues to be the top priority for NCCBI,” said Kirk, who also is chairman of the State Board of Education. “Our business community has rallied behind our schools, but at the same time there must be quantifiable accountability measures in place to demonstrate how our schools are doing.”

Kirk, Hunt and other state education leaders gathered at a press conference Dec. 6 to release the first report card monitoring the state’s progress toward the goal of being first in America. It included letter grades for each of five goals established by Hunt and the state’s Education Cabinet.

North Carolina received a “C” for the goal of high student performance; a “B-“ for the goal of having every child ready to learn; a “C+” for the goal of safe, orderly and caring schools; a “B-“ for the goal of quality teachers and administrators; and a “B-“ for the goal of strong family, business and community support.

“We’re not where we want to be, but look how far we’ve come,” said Hunt, noting that North Carolina students made the highest overall gains during the 1990s of any state on the National Assessment on Educational Progress (NAEP) tests for reading and math.  Student proficiency on the state’s end-of-grade tests skyrocketed 32 percent in the last seven years. SAT scores have improved by 40 points over the last decade.

In addition to Kirk, the governor’s Education Cabinet includes state Superintendent Mike Ward, UNC President Molly Broad, N.C. Community College System President Martin Lancaster and N.C. Independent College and Universities President Hope Williams. All of the educational leaders spoke at the press conference in support of the First in America initiative. Sen. Howard Lee (D-Orange), co-chair of the Senate Education Committee, said the House and Senate have collaborated across party lines to make education a top priority in the state.

Strategies already have been identified to improve grades across the board, including eliminating the minority achievement gap. New “gateways” for grades 3, 5 and 8 have been put into place by the State Board of Education to ensure that students are working at grade level in reading, writing and math before being promoted to the next grade.

“We can’t be content until all children are receiving a quality education in North Carolina,” Kirk said. “We not only need to maintain our momentum, we need to speed it up.”

Membership Campaign: Although final numbers have yet to be tallied, it’s apparent that the First Citizens Bank folks produced the best-ever membership campaign in NCCBI’s 58-year history. At last count, the bank had brought in 383 new members.

Added to other, ongoing membership recruitment efforts, including those by members of the NCCBI Board of Directors, 470 new members have joined since April 1. That raises total membership in NCCBI to more than 2,200.

The enthusiasm of the First Citizens team is a major reason for the success of the campaign. Another reason is the extra effort that’s been put into promoting NCCBI to business people throughout the state during informal receptions.

Since April 1, First Citizens Bank leaders, NCCBI board members and NCCBI staff have staged membership recruitment events in Cullowhee, Hender- sonville, Greensboro, Reidsville, Sanford, Asheboro, Skyland, High Point and Fayetteville.

Two major membership recruitment events are coming up soon. One is planned for Jan. 25 in Winston-Salem at the N.C. School of the Arts. The evening reception will be sponsored by NCCBI board members in Winston-Salem. The second will be Feb. 15 at White Oaks in Charlotte. NCCBI Chairman Mac Everett of Charlotte, the First Union Bank executive, will be the main host for that event.

NCCBI’s recent success in membership recruitment has even attracted some national attention. The Association of Membership and Marketing Executives recently honored NCCBI and the California state chamber by presenting its top award for “Highest Market Share Growth.”

Legislative Conference: Because of the many changes in state government brought about by the November elections, a larger than usual crowd is expected to attend NCCBI’s annual Legislative Conference on Thursday, Feb. 22. The half-day event will again be held at the McKimmon Center on the campus of N.C. State University. A highlight of the conference will be the unveiling of NCCBI’s legislative agenda for the upcoming session of the General Assembly. The chairs of the association’s seven policy committees will brief attendees on the positions that NCCBI will be pursuing in the legislature.

The conference will begin with registration and a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude with a luncheon address by Lt. Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue, the first woman elected to such a high office in state history.

The conference will be preceded by the highly-popular Legislative Reception the prior evening, Feb. 21, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Capital City Club in downtown Raleigh. The event returns to the club, where it has been held for many years, after being held last year at the new Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena.

NCCBI members should watch their mail for a brochure containing complete information about the event. The brochure contains a registration card members can use to reserve their spot at the conference.

Membership News: New members from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30 include: Archerd & Cuthbertson, PLLC, Asheville; Rep. Joanne W. Bowie, Greensboro; Craft Homes USA, Monroe; Durham Public Schools, Durham; Forsyth County Public Library, Winston-Salem; Henry Dockworks Inc., Rocky Mount; High Country Bank, Boone; Hudson Brothers Construction Co., Greenville; Hyde County Schools, Swan Quarter; Johnston, Allison & Hord, PA, Charlotte; Mail Boxes Etc., Huntersville; Hon. John Martin, Raleigh; MicroMass Communications Inc., Raleigh; Rep. Mia Morris, Fayetteville; NC Network, Raleigh; Pearson’s Oil Co., Candler; Phillips Interests, High Point; Linda Staunch & Associates, New Bern; WTXY Radio, Whiteville; Yancey Insurance Agency Inc., Raleigh; York Oil Co., White Plains. 

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