Legislators ignoring facts on annexation
I attended another comedy of errors in the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee, HB524 today (July 21). This bill supposedly represents reform to the state annexations law, but every attempt thus far to amend it so as to include real reform has been denied by use of long unamendable bill titles, shouted oral votes, and other questionable actions.
If leadership in the Senate had done the right thing last year, a moratorium on annexation would now be in place, and we would not have the ludicrous annexations being attempted statewide, as well as villages scrambling for protection by incorporating. The Senate and House leadership appear to remain securely in the pocket of the League of Municipalities and echo their “cities cannot grow without forced annexation.” Hogwash!
Only North Carolina, Nebraska, and Oklahoma have cities that require the use of force to grow! The League, the Councils of Government and the city leaders in these states must not have the vision and planning abilities of those in the other 47 states. Only these same three states have no oversight of annexations.
The legislators can continue to ignore the facts, but they cannot change the facts.
ó Marie Howell
Rowan County (Neel Estates)
‘At-risk’ students are being left behind
Private school cost me $175,000-plus for one child and $137,000-plus for another because their public school system would not comply with instructions from their doctors for educational assistance to maximize their achievement possibilities. The fact I asked to be reimbursed for this cost under the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) was held up for public derision because I served on the Board of Education.
The Supreme Court decision validating the requirement that public schools who don’t meet the educational goals for special needs children must pay for private education for such children under the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) has the potential to bankrupt all county boards of education.
In any given school at the primary level, up to 10 percent of children have labels such as ADD, EBD (Emotionally Behaviorally Disturbed) or ADHD. Where is the money to come from to comply with this non-funded federal mandate? Can I get my $312,000 reimbursed?
Given our inadequate testing system to determine the extent of children’s aptitude limitations, many schools will find themselves deluged with requests for private education for those kids who don’t fit the “normal” mold and can’t be taught using the cookie cutter method.
We are leaving more students behind, so let’s look at education differently:
– Education norms should be standardized across all the states.
– Grading should be understandable with A, B, C, D, and F not the euphemisms of needs improvement, satisfactory, etc.
– Testing for students should allow a centralized resource for psychologists where students may be referred rather than trying to staff multiple psychologists at each school. Testing should have a goal of complete evaluations within 90 days of referral.
If we don’t start to teach differently and reach at-risk kids more effectively with strategies for success, boards of education are going to require a national bailout.
ó Dr. Ada M. Fisher
Salisbury
If offer appears too good to be true …
If you get a $3,000 check in the mail, do a double take. Job seekers, don’t get scammed. Business owners, protect your trademarks and reputation. Rowan County is under a scam attack.
On Monday, a job-seeker friend of mine received a check for $2,990 from Synteract Research Surveys, Inc. It was enclosed with a letter stating that he was being paid to participate in a consumer research program. The letterhead used the same corporate address as Synteract, Inc., a legitimate company headquartered in Carlsbad, Ca., with a North Carolina Office in Morrisville. We both concluded that the offer was a fraud.
We found a television broadcast titled “Don’t Make Your Way to the Bank” on WWNY-TV in Watertown, N.Y., dated July 13, 2009. The broadcast featured Patrick Phillips, who also received similar correspondence with a $2,990 check. Phillips contacted a California bank and was informed that the matter was under investigation for fraud. He discovered that his name was on a job search Web site list when he contacted an organization in Quebec.
Synteract, Inc. is an established legitimate contract research organization that focuses on clinical trial research for pharmaceuticals, biotech, and medical devices. Synteract, Inc. posted an ad offering a position in that company on July 8, 2009, at the CharlotteHelpWanted.com Web site. Synteract Research Surveys, Inc. is apparently a predatory organization that preys upon the anxieties of the unemployed while damaging the good name of a sound business.
Don’t fall for this scam attack.
ó Reginald W. Brown
Salisbury