Easley solidifies stance on education

RALEIGH — Mike Easley sought to solidify his status as an education governor as he addressed a joint session of the General Assembly on Monday night.

Easley outlined his initiatives during the first of two State of the State addresses he will give during his second term in office, focusing most of his remarks on how education can move North Carolina into a new economic era.

“Together, we have faith that investing in education will allow all of our people, in every corner of every county of our state, to fully develop their God-given talents,” he said. “That is not just an economic imperative, it is a moral imperative. It is a North Carolina value.”

Easley suggested significant reforms to improve the high school graduation rate and requested expansion of his Learn and Earn program, which allows high school students to earn two-year college degrees or college credit for completing a five-year high school program.

“We have great universities, great community colleges, early childhood and now great elementary schools,” he said. “There is no excuse not to have great high schools, too. The high schools we have simply will not meet the demands of the global economy.”

He also talked about creating “smaller schools within schools” that will focus on health sciences, biotechnology and other growing industries.

Though Easley intends to continue lobbying for a lottery, he said he will not include an education lottery in his budget this year, and with the state facing a potential billion dollar budget deficit, it is unclear how his initiatives will be funded.

The governor credited fully funded enrollment growth and affordable tuition for the number of high school graduates who go on to college. And Easley said he is committed to maintaining that access.

“Tuition can’t rise every year,” he said, adding that tuition increases at UNC-system schools will not be included in his budget.

He called on legislators to meet students’ financial needs, even as the federal government reduces aid.

“Washington may leave you on the curb,” he said. “But North Carolina will not. Our budget will fund what Washington shamefully cut.”

Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, said the governor wants legislators to make a good-faith effort to keep tuition stable, but added that he doesn’t know if it’s possible.

But Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, said a tuition increase could be vital to maintaining the quality of the state’s public universities, especially that of UNC-Chapel Hill. She said the rising costs of recruiting prominent faculty could necessitate an increase.

“We’ve had generations of North Carolina taxpayers who have been willing to sacrifice to make this university the best in the nation,” she said. “We can’t drop the ball on this generation.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.