Other items of interest

The Greensboro News & Record‘s “Mixing It Up” feature recently quoted extensively from John Locke Foundation President John Hood‘s column on firing public school teachers. ([O]nly in government-run schools — and, I suppose, in the increasingly government-run field of Wall Street banking — is performance routinely unrelated to one’s job security or compensation. Because of rigid tenure rules and longevity-based compensation schedules, most schools do not pay teachers according to demonstrable effectiveness, or fire teachers for demonstrable ineffectiveness.) Speaking of Hood’s columns, N.C. Senate Republicans promoted this week his musings on an annexation reform lawsuit and unemployment rates. Carolina Journal Radio Co-Host Donna Martinez discussed the new Wake County school board and recent local sales-tax votes during a speech this week to the Wake County Taxpayers Association. Becki Gray, JLF Vice President for Outreach, previewed state government news earlier this week on WTSB Radio. She’s scheduled to offer a recap for WTSB listeners this afternoon. Mitch Kokai, Director of Communications, discussed the week’s top state government news during his latest appearance with Curtis Wright on the WAAV/WFNC Radio morning program. A letter in the Spring Hope Enterprise praised the recent JLF living history event featuring former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. (Thank you and the Enterprise, thank them, thank the John Locke Foundation, and please continue to feed our needy brains with lighthearted, enjoyable, and memorable moments like this.)