Carolina Journal Radio No. 866: Interesting developments in N.C. 2020 Senate race

From Cherokee to current attack from the largest city to the smallest town and from the statehouse into the schoolhouse Carolina Journal radio your weekly news magazine discussing North Carolina's most of public policy events and issues welcome to Carolina Journal radio why Michiko got during the next hour, Donna Martinez and I will explore some major issues affecting our state. As we move through college football's bowl season and into the heart of college basketball season, the head of a higher education watchdog group reminds us about serious problems linked to big time college sports. North Carolina's junior US Sen. is pushing a measure to help victims of sanctuary cities.

11 details. Another member of the state's congressional delegation wants government to do a better job helping prisoners reenter the workforce after their sentences and will highlight recent letters from both the Gov. and Lt. Gov. to public school teachers. They focus on the state's ongoing budget fight.

Those topics are just ahead. First, Donna Martinez joins us.

She has the Carolina Journal headline North Carolina's U.S. Senate race promises to be one to watch on election night and next in November, Republican incumbent Tom Tillis wants another term in the Senate and Democrats would love to turn that seat blue, but for now voter attention is on the match ups for the March primary races and a big development, recently on the Republican side of this race. Carolina Journal is covering this race very closely. Rick Anderson is editor-in-chief and he joins us now.

Rick welcome back. Thanks so one primary challenger to Tom Tillis has dropped out already writes Garland Tucker Raleigh businessman investment advisor self-funded his campaign largely put something like $1 million of his own money into this, and Garland Tucker is a is a is a historian in the same investment counselor and decided to drop out basically excuse he gave her the reason he gave was that he said that at the time the impeachment proceedings in Washington were sort of sucking all the oxygen out of the political race right now and that he did feel it was worthwhile for them to move forward with skipping was interesting as well that time some of Garland Tucker's messaging had to do with whether or not Sen. Tom Tillis was supporting Pres. Tromp and it appears now that Sen. Tillis has been endorsed by the president at a rally but also that to the senator is talking about dumb voting no on impeachment right so you got situation with with Garland Tucker, was that he announced the needed to be a real conservative in the race the time. He said tonsils was not a real conservative. Tucker also had criticized Canada trump precincts pretty significantly before the 2016 election and then suddenly flipped and became the president's biggest supporter. Of course Tom Tillis himself was had his own history, having an op-ed that was published in the Washington Post saying that to the president did not have have the authority to believe the deal do some things with the with four funding and the like, and then two weeks later changing his mind in voting for the bill that allow that to happen. So there's been a lot of pot of jockey going around about who's the real supporter of the president going into this race and Sen. Tillis's system forwarded so that he's the guy and the Republicans of your previous cholesterol and we will see. Once the dust settles and all the filing is over.

If there any others who will jump into the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate.

At this point, Rick. We know that there are at least five Democrats who would love to be their party's nominee to try to challenge Tillis. Interesting that the polling tends to show that Tom Tillis could be vulnerable and that's what the Democrats the national Democrats are seizing on so we have five people who at the point that you and I are talking, had officially filed. We got Trevor Fuller Steve Swenson tool go well.

Erica Smith and Cal Cunningham minutes those last two people who are getting a lot of publicity right Calcutta hymns foresight center. He is run for other offices before he has received the support of the national Democratic campaign committee of the central giving committee and so he has also gotten a raise loss ability than fundraisers like we spoke with him. But recent episode of Carolina Journal radio in which he was the person who decided to sit in the windowless basement calls and raise money that Frazier improperly national debt that I there was the center. Jeff Jackson is a state senator from Mecklenburg County said he'd been courted by the Democratic leadership in Washington. But what Sen. Jackson said he wanted to do was to go around the state in me voters and explain the platform and why he would be a better center. The tonsils like he said he was told by the Democrats know we want you to sit in a windowless basement and spend all your time making phone calls and chasing down money from donors and so centered accessible on the nursing doing that would apparently Calcutta. It was I was interested in doing that and so has been endorsed is been endorsed to date. Erica Smith is not gotten an endorsement. She is not taken well for that at all.

First of all, she has one more than one race for the states in its use from Northampton County and is as been in the Senate for several terms. The interesting thing about this race is that former state Supreme Court Justice Bob or sit on a recent episode in six minute and so was Cal Cunningham is the ideal candidate that national Democrats would like to see Ron in North Carolina for the Senate is a veteran. He has once office at the state level before he is not one statewide race what has been elected, he can raise money. He's very photogenic of the like, but Erica Smith may be the candidate that say that the national Democratic activist groups will be more likely to see African-American woman against elected official still currently in someone who is likely to be a very ferocious campaigner as well, and Cal Cunningham remains to be seen him if he would be on the campaign trail. Tillis is not exactly fire and brimstone campaigner himself.

So it's so is it would be if there would certainly be a contrast in lots of ways. Erica Smith won the primary, but she's got an uphill battle like a really interesting that primary race to to follow on the Democratic side. That is because it's going to be is is really fascinating to see if Sen. Smith can actually generate enough support for campaign to be a viable candidate actually run ads to to to travel around the state to go it to you to go to events and things like that and if Cal Cunningham is actually a show up at these events.

If he's going to, or if he's going to try to act as if he doesn't have any competition that he's basically running against Tom Tillis. Now this happens a lot in political campaigns were someone who is presumed to be a front runner simply ignores all the other candidates and runs against the likely general election opponent and so if that's the way the campaign shapes up.

It is really interesting to watch how we said he's received the endorsement from the national Democratic Senatorial committee right wondering if any national Democrats will come in on his behalf, and in the primary, if they think that perhaps Sen. Erica Smith does have said all of that grassroots support that you're talking we will see. I'm sure presidential contenders come into the state and when that happens it will be interesting to see who appears with the exactly and speaking of the presidential race.

Also some fascinating dynamics going on with the filing for the presidential primary here in North Carolina now on the Republican side, the Pres. Tromp is on the ballot. No one else and apparently there's a reason for that. To the east say party would not allow anyone else on the ballot. Essentially, so they just said Discover present counsel to be the nominee. So don't is not where little heads about to have you look for when curious about what's really interesting is that our listeners may not realize that it looks like there are five different parties for candidates have filed representing five different parties in these primaries tell us about the Constitution party, which has two candidates. We've got the green party which has a green party is one candidate we got the Libertarian party, which has 16 candidates and their 15 Democrats on the ballot. More than likely, it was hard to say about the libertarians. But more than likely of these 15 Democrats of the time people actually start but by the primary data.

People start voting by absentee ballot fairly soon, but I primary day. It would be very odd if there were more than, say, five or six who were viable candidates. At that point.

Right now we have 50 while, and in the whole issue of 16 libertarians and they are from across the country like libertarians are notorious for saying look I I am not associated with the Republican Party, the Democratic Party or anybody else. I'm a freethinker is that lower like you to hear from some of those candidates from the ones we hear from it all there to be a couple of names it will name the people might know is John McAfee of the about of McAfee systems the computer software person who's bit of a gonzo candidate who will probably be very active Jacob Hornberger for people. Libertarian circles are real. He's been an activist for a long long time. We were talking with Rick Anderson.

He is editor-in-chief of Carolina Journal Carolina Journal covering all of these races very closely confined that Carolina Journal.com. Thank you, thank you for say with this much more Carolina Journal radio to come in just a moment tired of fake names tired of reporters with political axes to grind. What you need to be reading Carolina Journal honest, uncompromising, old-school journalism, you expect and you need even better, the monthly Carolina Journal is free to subscribers sign up at Carolina. Journal.com. You'll receive Carolina Journal newspaper in your mailbox each month. Investigations into government spending revelations about boondoggles who the powerful leaders are and what they're doing in your name and with your money.

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Welcome back Carolina Journal radio I Michiko got Division I college football and basketball are no longer amateur sports.

That's the assessment from our next guest, Jenna Robinson is president of the James G. Martin Center for academic renewal.

She recently spoke to the John Locke foundation's Shaftesbury Society topic focused on the increased professionalization of big time college sports and its negative consequences.

Walk back to the program Jenna, it's great to be here much. So it really is pretty clear these days, anyone who watches the sport events this this is not just a bunch of college kids get together play game it it is almost exactly like a pro sport. It really is. They are talented they are tough they work harder then probably any of the other college sports and it tells when you watch and obviously the money has followed and just made the whole thing.

Even worse, makes it fun for us to watch sports like to see high quality athletic competition, but the content of your discussion with the Shaftesbury Society and the reason that you're focusing on. This is because of negative consequences. Talk to us about that right.

The biggest problem is that Division I college athlete in a really competitive sport is essentially asked to do two jobs to full-time jobs to be a student and to be an athlete and it is compounded by the fact that colleges recruit students to be athletes who would not have gotten it at school. Otherwise, consider job being a student is harder than it ought to be because they're starting out behind all of their peers. You mention the fact that this has negative consequences for an perverse incentives for all people involved.

How does this play out absolutely will name the first people for whom it has negative consequences are obviously athletes themselves. They often can't do the work they don't have time to do the work. They are supposedly given resources to help them do the work but often it gets them accused of cheating and rightly so, because it is cheating. Of course, the cheating doesn't affect just those athletes. It affects faculty members whose classes they are and it affects the other students who are in this class as it affects the University itself there's a lot of pressure to dumb down some courses to attract athletes to them. We saw it happen. Even seated was immense pressure and hand it created creating fake courses and there is the easy A's that are often given out to athletes and their incentives for key just outright cheating incentives for the school or the athletics program or a counselor or whoever just to do whatever it takes to get that athlete and keep that athlete eligible. We are chatting with Jenna Robinson, who is president of the James G.

Martin Center for academic renewal of this also plays out in the incentives that are therefore coaches the coaches are not just saying okay kid off the off the campus come on and play for my team right me there. There recruiting high quality athletes and not really necessarily high quality students. Absolutely they are rewarded for winning they're not rewarded for putting together a team of you know, all American straight shooters so they go out and they find the most talented kids they can, regardless of whether those students are ready and willing to deal college-level work and when the team wins the coaches are well compensated.

They get to stay on when I see it all the time.

They talk about this coaches can be fired if if he doesn't win X number of games this season.

And if that's your incentive structure as a coach, why would you pay attention to grades at all except just to make sure that athletes are doing the bare minimum to stay eligible so we talked about the effects on coaches.

We talked about the effects on athletes are also focusing on the attention on how this impacts other students if if other students who are anywhere near being athletes are are on a big time college campus.

They could also feel some impact how so well. I think the first way is that someone is not getting in to UNC or to do to make room for that athlete, someone who is academically much better prepared to be there and we don't know who the students are. We don't know who the person was who just didn't make the cut because they net needed to lead and the star athlete, but also if you are there on campus and you sit in classes with athletes. You wonder what is the quality of this class. Am I being treated the same way that athletes are being treated. You notice that athletes will miss classes and still managed to pass. You'll notice that athletes are turning in less work than you are. And it really does degrade those classes because the standards are not being upheld for everyone. We talked about the problems. Now let's turn the tide a little bit and say okay we know this is a problem. What sorts of things can we do to help address this.

Well, I think the first thing that we should do is revert back to the NBA's old rules we can get rid of these one in Don's the NBA shed once again take students right out of high school, just like Lebron James having making students go to college for a year and pretended to be interested in higher education. While there really just waiting for the draft. It I mean it means that there are some really fine high quality basketball games. You can watch but it's really doing everybody had to service those students need to go directly in being and stopping students and just be basketball players because that's clearly what their best.we also need to see changes at the University's universities need to stop getting athletes waivers athletes you haven't taken the requisite number of math courses or English courses are having got me the grades and SAT scores. Universities need to stop doing that so that when the athletes get to school.

At least they're not starting out behind all their peers.

It'll still be hard for them to be an athlete and a student but at least they won't start out from behind and the other thing that is really exciting is that there is a new historical basketball league starting up and I am encouraged by this it is. It's private. It's a summer league. The athletes will be paid somewhere between 50,000 $150,000 per season, and it's kind like a minor league for the NBA. It's can be starting in 2020, the athletes will be able to benefit from their name, their image, their likeness and if they want to because it's a summer league. They can still go to college at the same time and said that the private market alternative that I really like one of the other things we've heard is a possibility to get your thoughts on this. If University could be bringing in students who are up to snuff academically and sticking with that system.

They need to have much more in terms of resources for those students so they could actually get a real academic grounding as they're getting the athletics. Do you think that something to pursue as well. I think there are ways to do it. That will solve the problem and then there are ways to do it, it'll just make cheating more likely I think one thing I do like is giving a lifelong scholarship so that if the student does leave, he or she can come back after their NBA career NFL careers. Dining at their college education at the backend and I think that erases some of the problems that you see. And I like that a lot better than just Anglican and give more academic coaching or counseling because we've seen it too many times that turns into having somebody to do your homework for you. What's a very interesting topic and anyone is ever watched a college football or basketball game ought to be interested in this and how it plays out one person who certainly is and who will be working on these types of changes and improvements is Jenna Robinson.

She is president of the James G. Martin Center for academic renewal. Thanks much for joining us. Jenna thanks Mitch Moore on Carolina journal radio just about if you have freedom we got great news to share with you now. You can find the latest news, views, and research from conservative groups across North Carolina all in one place North Carolina conservative.com it's one stop shopping for North Carolina's freedom movement@northcarolinaconservative.com. You'll find links to John Locke foundation blogs on the days news Carolina journal.com reporting and quick takes Carolina journal radio interviews TV interviews featuring CJ reporters and Locke foundation analysts, opinion pieces and reports on higher education from the James G.

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The people that are in these gels have been charged with a crime and in many cases of serious crime in Mecklenburg County two weeks ago the Mecklenburg County Sheriff had made the decision to release for people one charged with murder to charged with indecent liberties with a minor one charged with heroin trafficking. They were illegally present, but they weren't in jail because they had simply crossed the border had a visa expired, they were in jail because they committed a serious crime. Now when immigrations and customs and customs enforcement hears about these folks who have been detained. They issue what they call a detainer order. That's a request to hold that person in jail for at least 48 hours so that I can go to the prison or go to the jail interview them and determine whether or not they want to transfer them into ice custody and potentially deport them.

This is a very dangerous policy.

That's actually ultimately resulted in other people being harmed.

So think about that person charged with writing for the person charged with murder that person charged with heroin trafficking released to go back into the community and may cause harm to someone else.

What I decided we need to do is at least provide a private right of civil action to a victim of that unwise decision is called the justice for victims of sanctuary cities that� Proposed law would give people across the country the right to sue governments that impose sanctuary city policies if those policies end up causing real physical harm. Tillis's idea would have to clear both the U.S. Senate and the house to become law firm with more Carolina journal radio minimum we are doubling down on freedom at Carolina journal radio were proud to bring you stories that impact your life and your wallet. And now get twice as much freedom when you also listen to our podcast headlock available on iTunes and@johnlocke.org/podcast Locke is a little bit different. It's a no holds barred discussion that challenges softheaded ideas from the left and the right, like Carolina journal radio headlock is smart and timely but with headlock you'll hear more about the culture wars get some more humor as well. We guarantee great information and a good time to double down with S. Listen to Carolina journal radio each week and listen to headlock to remember, you can listen to headlock@johnlocke.org/podcast or subscriber download each week iTunes Carolina journal radio and headlock just what you need to stay informed and stay entertained both brought to you in the name of freedom by the John Locke foundation of Qu�bec to Carolina journal radio I Mexico kind most people who go to prison eventually get out. What steps can government take what steps should it take to ensure those people stay out of prison. Once they reenter society that's a question, North Carolina Congressman Mark Walker recently addressed in Greensboro, Walker took part in a forum to promote his proposal.

The prison to prosperity act. I grew up as a preacher stupid Baptist preacher's kid in the South in my bed was assigned or are actually voted in to be the chaplain of the prison there about 20 miles away and is a as a youngster I begin to travel with him sometimes almost Saturday morning and I remember getting to sit on those bunk beds and hearing some of the stories and begin to think Mentos that was a very smart person. I thought about the mistake they would say you know say this, don't do this don't do that, but I think that the level of talent in the level of wonderful people that sometimes are locked up for things that that as we look back we wonder, did we get it all right just a couple numbers here. We have about 2.2 2.3 million people right now that incarcerated in the United States. So if you look at that. That's about Russia and China combined.

So think about that statistic number two have another 3.7 million people on probation 728,000 local jails and root really pulls on your heartstrings is the next generation because you have 2.7 million children.

1/28 habit incarcerated parent. But here's a number that popped the women started looking at this 1/110 all Caucasian parents wanted a 15 after American black people help a child incarcerated so awestruck, so what's the reason behind it and I reflected on my years as a pastor's of the inner city ministries that we worked in were people just sit. So what would bring us to bring hope spring hope God begin to work my heart out about some people so you over spiritualize.

This will register you working from a belief to begin to say what is it that we can do to bridge that gap from incarceration to bring about the training for apprenticeships. Walker has proposed a prison to prosperity act. Start with the statistic your 60% of the 650,000 inmates released every year, or incarcerated within one with three or 65 days so you 60% of the 650,000 employees are at inmates incarcerated or unemployed within one year job as were many times you begin to find that support you begin to realize that you matter and contributing something so what we do present prosperity act that get into the weeds.

It directs the Sec. of labor.

Signature of education, signature defense and the Atty. Gen. to establish or collaborate on their efforts to expand apprenticeships for these four categories warn the most populated his former inmates to his high school students three as armed service members and veterans of force individuals not currently attending an educational institution.

Reason why that's important if you're able to provide those apprenticeships. It builds a bridge to be able to find that because we have seen as high as 90% of those that complete an apprenticeship market employed one year to year, five years down the road as opposed to just sitting 650,000 informal incarcerated people out into the workforce.

I look hope it works out for you that we realize it's simply not working and I think what your motivation is humanitarian.

Whether it's from a civil rights perspective or even it's from a fiscal responsibility.

We are spinning taxpayers are spending $70 billion each year to keep Americans incarcerated. So just looking at it from an economic standpoint, it doesn't make you that you can pick which that's why does it matter which is all that you're on the term Republican. There is great cause reason to get behind this and I believe that were excited about getting this done getting son that's Republican Congressman Mark Walker speaking recently in Greensboro.

What's the response been among colleagues to the prison to prosperity act. I think we have a growing amount of support.

Anytime you're introducing new legislation. You go through the committee that goes on to rules the house for four vote to the Senate and the presidents on the wall of the presidents personality can sometimes be very interesting to say the least. But this is something he's been willing to do first epic criminal justice reform and I'm grateful for that but but it things like this are partisan is changing the culture and its getting that opportunity and I will tell you this, you were talking about this from Washington DC, produces perspective, but nothing in our history, our country ever started in Washington DC.

Okay, make the matter closed with legislation to codify the wall but there was a Baptist preacher from a self that had a problem with were the civil rights thing was headed to end the Republican over there but but but but pave the way there were college students about half a mile from here like the witnesses so if you look at it for from the church of nonprofits. This is this is where it starts. This is this is the creativity and ingenuity to innovation. This is for the passion comes from part of our job in DC is to bring those thoughts together and get across the finish line. But Washington DC has never been the generator of a lot of these ideas it's everyday people see a problem to the issue of the justice system or something else and say we've had enough to fix it today. Walker faced this question. How can people in Greensboro and North Carolina take action.

I think what you're doing right now is committing to continue to communicate. First of all, the need to choose my words carefully, but there's a lot of ignorance is force what's going on and I was that I was an adult before I begin to take a second look at this in realize looking at the numbers what these numbers never cut through the media. They don't they don't get out. There's a lot of times is communicating the situation and in most rational people look at some of these numbers.

When you see over the last four years the domestic and commercial incarceration rate has quadrupled. Most rational people go wassup is going on here. Something is not right. Walker offered advice to would-be reformers. Nothing ever happens within a relationship. If you look at people just because there are a number or through the political lens you will I think you really have success, but if you look at them as somebody who God created with unique abilities and talents and skill sets.

That's the message it in and listen we have people who have every reason to consider the sibs victims a been through some heavy stuff, but how do you get the place where you rise beyond that importance. The federal government a community or any bit by the else that puts a ceiling on that to be able to say no to God's done something he's greeted me in a way to accomplish so much more. What we want this to be is just to be the conduit and that's what I hope the people continue to talk about. Walker emphasized the need to help people just as they leave prison then returned to the outside world.

Urgency is very crucial so when you're coming out from a cursory situation you don't have much to figure this out. The reason this apprenticeship ugly that works is because day one.

You have to go out there and see there's hope. There's an opportunity. There's a path that's been created on the funding side from the front from being able to provide that.

I think if you if you if you're able to act early think your chances of success drastically increase.

What about the roles linked to hiring former prisoners.

Walker discussed the band the box movement for those who are hard government employees. It's easier to get that place because we controlled it from a photo push for perspective.

What's a little bit more challenging to get enough support is for private industry. How much did you tell them they have to do on on the people that they're looking to hire but it is changing on the federal and the state employee side because that's where government can have a role or specific space. It is for us what you can or can't do questions you can ask under the areas of discrimination etc. etc. but will wait what Congress what the law were Republicans or Democrats haven't gone quite as for himself they're still talking about is do you take that same mentality.

Do you put that on the private entrepreneur that when they're getting started or were there hiring people that you had to say. We can ask these questions you can ask about that. And that's where the debate has come. That's Congressman Mark Walker. He's touting potential benefits of his prison to prosperity act will return with North Carolina journal radio involvement really influence you either have it or you don't and at the John Mott foundation we have it, you'll find our guiding principles in many of the freedom forward reforms of the past decade here in North Carolina. So while others talk or complain or name call.

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Expand your choice of schools for your kids. Widen your job opportunities improve your access to doctors. The recipe for stability and a bright future for truth for freedom for the future of North Carolina. We are the John Locke foundation. Welcome back to Carolina journal radio Donna Martinez roughly 100,000 teachers are employed in North Carolina public schools, both traditional and charter schools, and the sheer size of this group and the influence that the North Carolina Association of educators. The state affiliate of the largest teacher union in the country means that teachers garner a lot of attention from elected officials and right now that attention is coming from both Gov. Roy Cooper and Lieut. Gov. Dan Forest Dr. Terry stoops is the vice president for research.

The director of education studies for the John Locke foundation. He's been following this back and forth between these two elected officials and teachers and principals and joins us now to talk about that Terry. Welcome back to the shelf.

Thank you. First of all, give us a sense if you would've how big a role that education plays in the state operating budget and kind of the of the recent disputes over the budget tab between the Democratic governor and the Republican-led Gen. assembly will education is one of the largest expenditures in the budgets and so it it certainly garners a great deal of attention in the one reason why teachers and and staff specifically garner so much attention is that because over 90% of the money we spend on our public schools goes to personnel. A lot of people think that goes to books and and desks and those sorts of things, but the cost to support teachers and staff their salary and benefits is an enormous cost to the state. So of course there's a lot of attention paid to them because they're there. The largest expense in our K-12 education budget is our teachers and staff and so looking at the teacher pay issues as the Gov. and Lt. Gov. have of course it affects a large number of teachers and it effects as well. The administrators and staff because those teachers are making decisions based on what their pay is and what their benefits look like recent reporting matter that several different publications, and has revealed that Gov. Cooper sent an email to all the principals across the state.

Tell us about that email will he sent a Christmas is coming up and to be the Grinch sort of email to all the teachers basically explaining why he vetoed Republican budgets that had pay increases involved in heat came from his senior education advisor Jeff Cole train and was sent to all the principals in the state with the understanding that the principal would then forward it to their staff and and I can tell you that in many cases, at least according to online chatter. That's exactly what happened. Principles receive the letter and they either forwarded the email to their staff for the printed out the letter and give it to each of their teachers and and teacher assistants, and other staff in the school, so this was this set off a kind of head scratching moment where people were wondering where where did he get these email addresses. Why would he send the malts of the principles and and you know what's the nature of sending a letter this time of the year explaining why teachers are getting a raise interesting tell us a little bit more if you could about the message in that communication from the governor was he saying here's what I would like to do for you or was he really focusing on policy because frankly that gets into a very curious line between appropriate discussion of public policy issues and politics yeah and I think it crosses the line into politics talking about wanting to get the Gen. assembly, the Republican Gen. assembly to the table to negotiate teacher raises and and justifying why he vetoed a budget that include teacher pay increases, and this is the same store that he's been telling ever since he issued the veto veto initially is that the reason why he vetoed budgets that included the pretty decent teacher pay increases was because he believes that that was a way to get the Republican Gen. simile back to the table to negotiate these things. Well, you know that really is and how budgeting works in North Carolina and and hope that he had in the claim that that was what was going to happen was really not based on any evidence because Republicans never mentioned once that they wanted to negotiate with the governor to discuss teacher pay raises what was really interesting a second time was that time. On the heels of the reporting about the email from the governor came news that the Lieut. Gov. Dan Forest who is a Republican Gov. Cooper.

Of course, a Democrat, that the Lieut. Gov. also sent a communication apparently two people are employed by schools what you know about that. Well, this is a different circumstance because the Lieut. Gov. sits on the state Board of Education and has a formal role in education governance in North Carolina so it wouldn't be unusual for someone in that kind of position to send a communication to teachers and administrators and I think that's why the Lieut. Gov. thought that in response to Cooper's letter, it would be important for him to outline what has really happened over the last few years. As far as teacher compensation and that's what his letter does is basically list all of the accomplishments of the Republican Gen. assembly of those include getting the average teacher pay up to nearly $54,000 a year that includes a 20% increase in teacher pay between 2014 and 2019, and included all of the discussion about all the budgets that were vetoed by the governor, including one budget that in had that included a 9.9% average pay increase for teachers and so forces letter Lieut. Gov. force letter was just pointing out here's what happens and and here is what I believe the real motivation for this for Gov. Cooper's letter and he seemed to imply that it was to make the North Carolina Association of educators happy and to do their bidding was was what it seemed. The Lieut. Gov. seem to imply in his letter really interesting at Terry.

I know that to because of what you do. This is your your field of expertise that you constantly monitor monitor all sorts of Facebook pages and Twitter feeds and chat rooms, etc. what is happening online. What are people saying about time these two opposing views of education policy, and teacher pay ideas in North Carolina. Well, judging from the online chatter you would be under the impression that everyone supported Cooper and his decisions and his policies because the it's really the Cooper supporters. The supporters of the Democratic Party that dominate the online discussion and so you look at some of the Facebook pages and the Twitter feeds of individuals essentially speaking for teachers, but the reality is is that this is just a handful of politically active teachers that are active on social media sometimes during the school day looking at ways to advance the cause of the Democratic Party and Gov. Cooper and and that's really what is misleading about a lot of this online chatter as you said when you started this discussion, there are hundred thousand teachers, and I would say there's probably about 100 teachers online that are talking about all of these issues and of course most of them support the governor and the Democrats. I think that the there's plenty of teachers out there.

The support Lieut. Gov. of the support. The Republican Gen. assembly like having lower taxes, like the fact that their pay has increased significantly over the last five years, but are just afraid to say so and stay off of social media and and don't engage with those who are active on and of course for any teacher or any citizen in North Carolina who wants to know factual information about the education budget education policy teacher pay, etc. you definitely need to be following the work from our guest here. Dr. Terry stoops 10.

Thank you all the time. We have the program this week. Thank you for listening on behalf of my cohost Mitch. Okay I'm Donna Martinez. Hope you join us again next week for more Carolina journal radio Carolina journal radio is a program of the John Locke foundation to learn more about the John Locke foundation donations that support programs like Carolina radio send email to development John Locke called 66 JL left info 166-553-4636 Carolina journal radio is the John line foundation airline is maintaining an Carolina broadcasting system, Inc. all opinions expressed on this program are solely those did not merely reflect the station. For more information about the show or other programs and services of the John foundation, John Locke, toll-free at 866 JL and would like to thank our wonderful radio affiliates across Carolina and our sponsors. Carolina journal radio.

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