2007

RALEIGH – North Carolina taxpayers would pay the price if state lawmakers endorse complex fund-raising schemes this year. That’s according to a new John Locke Foundation Policy Report. Click…

North Carolina’s public schools students are falling behind, and the State Board of Education is to blame. As Governor Easley prepares to fill two vacancies on the board, it is time to appoint members who can bring fresh approaches and new ideas, not more groupthink, to the body that controls our beleaguered public school system.

Unfortunately for North Carolina’s students, most of the adult debate over schools has focused on where to find the money to build the schools to accommodate its rapidly growing student population. Last year several NC counties passed bonded indebtedness of nearly $1.5 billion and presently counties and the state are discussing more bonds totaling an additional $3.6 billion.

RALEIGH – North Carolina can avoid large, expensive school buildings while working to improve student performance. That’s the key finding in a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report. Click…

Any recommendations made by North Carolina’s Global Climate Commission this spring will lack much of the underlying analysis required by the Commission’s enabling legislation. Senate Bill 1134, which established the Commission in 2005, was explicit. It stated that the Commission “shall conduct an in depth examination” of a list of important scientific and economic issues. After over a year of meetings the Commission has ignored what any reasonable observer would conclude are the most important questions.

The Federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has helped single mothers escape poverty, but it has penalized married parents and is plagued by misunderstanding and fraud. A state EITC at five percent of the federal level would cost $66 million with the same problems but less impact. State tax credits should address problems in the federal tax code, such as the penalty against middle class parents who do not qualify for means-tested programs or against individuals who do not purchase health insurance through their employer. The state child tax credit addresses the former and a health insurance purchase tax credit would address the latter problem.

RALEIGH – The average North Carolina teacher already earns $2,700 more each year than her average peers across the country, once their pay is adjusted for cost of living and…

Adjusted for cost of living, pension contribution, and teacher experience, the state’s average teacher salary is $993 higher than the U.S. adjusted median salary and $2,733 higher than the U.S. adjusted average salary. There is little evidence that a higher average salary or better benefits will, in any significant way, improve recruitment and increase retention of teachers. A system of merit-based pay would provide an incentive for highly qualified individuals to enter and stay in the teaching profession.

Click here to view and here to listen to Chad Adams discussing the By The Numbers report. RALEIGH – Local taxes and fees in Rocky Mount totaled about…

Click here to view and here to listen to Chad Adams discussing the By The Numbers report. RALEIGH – Greensboro has the highest local tax burden of the…