WDMC Meeting - 10 April 2006

WDMC Monthly Meeting - April 2006
The monthly meeting of the Wake Democratic Men's Club (WDMC) was held on April 10, 2006 at the Clarion Hotel on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh. Registration commenced at 6 PM, followed by a sit-down dinner at 6:30 PM. The meeting was well-attended by Club members, elected officials and office-seekers, and other interested Democrats.

Club President Richard Rudy convened the meeting shortly after 7 PM. The Hon. Aaron Fussell then led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a short prayer. Next, President Rudy individually recognized all office holders, office seekers, and new Club members in attendance. Each person so recognized was given the opportunity to say a few words to the Club. Upon the conclusion of the "special guest" portion of the meeting, President Rudy introduced our guest speaker, Senator (and Chairman!) Howard Lee.

Guest Speaker: Senator Howard Lee
Our guest speaker this evening was the Honorable Howard Lee, Chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education.

Chairman Lee has a long and distinguished career in public service. Prior to his appointment to lead the Board of Education in May 2003, Chairman Lee served as mayor of Chapel Hill from 1969-1975. He served in former Governor Jim Hunt's cabinet as Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development from 1976-1981. From 1990-2003, Chairman Lee served with distinction in the North Carolina Senate, where he became known as a strong advocate of increased educational opportunities for all of the state's students. In addition to his duties as Chair of the State Board of Education, in April 2005 Governor Easley appointed Senator Lee to a four year term on the North Carolina Utilities Commission. Senator Lee is a UNC alumnus, having earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1966. Welcome, Senator Lee!

Senator Lee briefly described some career highlights for those in attendance. While on the faculty at Duke, he did research on early childhood education. In the State Senate, he was an advocate of early childhood education. Senator Lee was involved with the establishment of North Carolina's first public kindergarten program in 1972. He pointed out that partly due to his efforts, North Carolina has always strongly funded public education, even in tough budgetary times.

Senator Lee then turned his attention to North Carolina's new Education Lottery. He emphasized that the Lottery will provide additional revenue for education, and is not a substitute for present funding. Among the beneficiaries of this additional funding are the Smart Start and More at Four programs. Senator Lee supported creation of an Education Lottery while serving in the State Senate, because North Carolinians were spending over $400 million dollars annually on the lotteries of adjacent states (i.e. SC, VA, TN, GA). This was lost revenue that North Carolina could easily recoup.

Some additional Lottery provisions, as Senator Lee explained, are as follows:

1. 35% of Lottery proceeds goes to educational funding, 50% goes to prizes, 8% to administration, and 7% to retailers who sell the tickets.
   
   
2. Of the 50% of proceeds that goes to education funding:
   • 50% goes towards an "educational lottery reserve fund," up to a maximum of $50 million dollars.
   • Of the remainder, 50% goes toward reduction of class size for at-risk four year olds, 40% to the "school construction fund," and 10% to scholarships for students currently receiving Pell Grants.
   • Of the funds dedicated to school construction, 65% is based on the school district's enrollment, and 35% is based on the property tax rate. Senator Lee stated that North Carolina has many low-wealth counties that lack the financial resources to pass bond issues and simply are not able to raise property taxes. These counties, should they choose to do so, would be able to use lottery proceeds to support an education bond issue.

3. The Lottery will fund a program to assist those suffering from gambling addiction.
   
   

4. Powerball is scheduled to start May 30, 2006.
   
   
5. More "numbers games" will be available in the Fall of 2006.
   
   

Senator Lee is aware of the tremendous growth experienced by some areas of our state. He is a firm believer that our public schools should not have trailers as classrooms. He also believes that our children have a right to solid, permanent classrooms and a small class size. The Lottery will help reduce class size in the critical early grades. Senator Lee hopes this will help all 21st century school children succeed in our knowledge-based economy.

Finally, Senator Lee emphasize that the Lottery is not the "be all"/"end all" of education funding. It will provide some money, but not enough. the Lottery is just one funding mechanism intended to insure that all of North Carolina's schoolchildren receive the "sound, basic education" prescribed by our state's Constitution.

Q & A
Upon the conclusion of his formal presentation, Senator Lee accepted questions from the floor. Topics of discussion included:

1. The need for more teachers due to smaller class size in early grades.
   
   
2. The need to fund smaller class sizes outside the lower grades.
   
   
3. The need to make teaching more attractive as a career choice, perhaps by increasing teacher salaries.
   
   
4. The difficulty retaining math, science, and technology teachers, and the possibility of offering incentives for them.
   
   
5. The increasing use of technology (e.g. online instruction) to insure that all public school courses of instruction are available statewide.
   
   
6. The importance of insuring, on an ongoing basis, that Lottery funds are truly a supplement to – and not a mere replacement for - existing education spending. Senator Lee acknowledged that the General Assembly is free to do as it sees fit with Lottery proceeds in the future, but expressed confidence that funds would not be misappropriated or used for a purpose for which they were not originally intended.
   
   
7. How to "fix" the fourty-four low performing high schools in North Carolina.
   
   
8. The "appropriateness" of using a lottery mechanism to fund education spending in North Carolina. Senator Lee believes the Lottery affords citizens a voluntary mechanism to fund education, and is preferable to additional involuntary taxation.
   
   
9. The "appropriateness" of Lottery advertising, which could be perceived as the State encouraging its citizens to gamble. The questioner opined that Lottery advertising should not be allowed, just as the State-regulated ABC Stores are not permitted to advertise. Senator Lee responded that the Lottery legislation limits advertising to 10% of revenues, and believes some advertising is necessary if the Lottery is to remain viable over the long-term.
   
   
10. North Carolina's high drop-out rate, and what can be done to correct this problem. Senator Lee responded that program such as "Learn and Earn" (in which a thirteenth year is added to the public school curriculum, and the student receives both a high school diploma and an Associate Degree from a North Carolina community college) are designed to prepare students for both college and the work force. Thirteen "Learn and Earn" programs are currently operational, and Senator Lee would like to see one in every high school in the State.
    
    
11. Increased emphasis on biotechnology. Senator Lee would like to see our high schools adopt this curriculum. He stressed that a high school diploma is no longer sufficient in our modern society, and we are losing too many students between the eighth and ninth grades.

Club Business
President Rudy presented some business items for consideration by the Membership.

1. Elections for Club offices will be held in May, and installation of officers and directors will be held in June.
   
   
2. Pete Leary reported that the slate of proposed Club officers and directors will be presented to the Membership at the May 2006 meeting.
   
   
3. Richard Rudy has agreed to serve another term as Club President.
   
   
4. Bob Hensley has agreed to serve another term as Club First Vice-President.
   
   
5. Jay Sable has agreed to serve a full term as Club Secretary.
   
   
6. Brian Anderson has agreed to serve another term as Club Treasurer.
   
   
7. Max Adams gave a brief report on the annual Reverse Raffle, which will be held June 17, 2006 at the NCSU University Club on Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. Up to 1000 tickets (at $100 each) will be sold. The last ticket drawn will win the $5000 grand prize. Tickets will be available at all WDMC meetings held before June 17. Tim Dumas, comedian and magician, will provide entertainment.
   
   
8. Senator Lee drew the winning raffle ticket. The winner was Steve Painter.
   
   
9. The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:10 PM.
   

Submitted by Jay Sable, WDMC Secretary, sablejb@nc.rr.com